Interplay
by SLH
Summary: Continuation of Interactions. Xavier is back and Remy is again bored in the War Room o Ch. 3 RogueRemyBetsyXavier
1. Back to SchoolBeginning of the End

**Disclaimer: **All characters belong to Marvel Comics except Kenny Cruz and Ronald "Ro Joe" Johnson".

**Summary:** This is a continuation of Interactions, but it can be read on its own. If you haven't read Interactions, everything of importance will be explained as this story progresses.

The X-Men's four week vacation is winding down and the incidences of the first week of their time off (as read in Interactions) is still having an impact on the team.

This story will have plots involving Bobby, Betsy, Ororo, Jean, Logan Scott, Xavier and others, but will mostly evolve around Remy and Rogue ;o)

**Interplay:** The way (people) react with one another and have an effect on one another.

**Interplay**

**Part 1**

**Chapter 1**

**Back to School**

**(The Full Cast)**

The X-Men sat silently in the War Room, having been summoned by Xavier more than an hour before. They listened intently as the professor reached the conclusion of his debriefing on his trip to Shi'ar. All eyes were focused on the back and forth motion of Xavier as he moved from the lecture podium to the large computer screen assisting his speech. All eyes were focused, all except for one.

_Borin'! _Remy fought the urge to yawn as he sunk lower into his seat. He was dressed in his standard X-Men uniform, as they all were due to War Room policy, never mind the fact they were still officially on vacation.

Remy glanced up at the large view screen as Xavier rambled on. He so wished the still pictures were animated–maybe then he would start paying attention; however, right now they were on vacation and use to slacking off.

**Yawn!**

Remy looked to his left. It was Bobby. He could tell the Iceman was trying to yawn as quietly as possible, but being so close, the thief was able to pick up on it.

_Poor, Bobby._ _Out of everyone here, he hasn't been makin' de best of his vacation._ He watched as Bobby started to nod off, then woke up after his head dropped too far._ I can't believe de stuff he's lettin' mess wit' his sleep._

Remy leaned into the table so he could see past Bobby to the guy propped up at the front of the long table. He shook his head ruefully at the sight of Cyclops jotting down notes from the professor's speech on his computer pad. If Remy had witnessed that very scene four weeks prior, his stomach would have turned; however, so much things have happened in that period of time, one of them being the beginnings of a real friendship between the leader and the thief.

_Sure Scott can be a pain when he's in leader mode, but I found out he's an okay guy once he has the time t' relax. _Smiling to himself, he mused, _Besides, anyone dat can recognize true genius in an ol' black and white tv show, is all right wit' me. _Remy made a mental note to return The 3 Stooges DVD Scott had lent him a couple nights before. He had wanted to hand deliver it back to Scott at the boathouse, but decided against it because he didn't want to bump into...

"Yes, Jean?" The professor called, seeing her raised hand.

Jean asking Xavier some nonsensical question gave Remy the perfect excuse to look her over. She was a beautiful green eyed red head–one of the few he had seen _without_ freckles. Over the past three weeks, she had gone out of her way to track him down, though he had been doing an excellent job of keeping her at bay.

He grinned inwardly, wondering if he could ever remember another time where he _deliberately_ avoided one-on-one time with a sexy lady.

_I guess dis is a first_, he concluded, too deep in thought to realize Jean had long ago finished asking her question and turned her head to him, silently inquiring about his stare.

She smiled hopefully at him, her wide eyes causing her brows to rise, but soon her smile turned into a frown as he abruptly turned his head to the front of the room.

_I guess he's still mad at me, _she thought sadly. Jean sat up straight and flipped her hair behind her shoulders, refusing to let his reaction get her down. She remained, optimistic, hoping he would soon grow tired of whatever game he was playing with her..._this_ time.

Remy's eyes soon settled on his dearest friend Ororo. She too was engulfed with Xavier, following his every movement with her icy blue eyes.

Storm had been a couple of weeks off a hurtful breakup and he had been spending whatever time he could helping her keep her mind off of it. He wanted so desperately to make up for not really being there for her when she was _falling_ in love.

_Maybe den I could have stopped it,_ he thought remorseful, wishing she would never have to experience that kind of pain.

_Breakin' up wit' someone ya were in love wit' is bad enough, but when ya still have t' see his face every day..._

He looked over to Logan, who seem more interested with fiddling with the toothpick in his mouth than with anything Xavier had to say.

Remy had long ago figured Ororo was dating Logan–but by the time he had figured it out, she had already experienced her heartbreak. _I guess I was too busy dealin' wit' Rogue and de bracelet dat I totally missed all de obvious signs._

Even so, he was willing to let the entire issue drop, seeing as though the former couple had already broke up and she seemed to be moving on with her life. He even maintained his friendship with Logan, never bringing up the topic, both doing an excellent job of ignoring the elephant in the room.

_And I'll still be cool wit' Wolverine, forgettin' 'bout how much he hurt Stormy–she would wan' dat of me._ Tapping his finger anxiously on the table, he continued, _Jus' as long as he keeps his distance from her, we'll have no problems..._

"And that concludes the summary of my adventures in Shi'ar," Xavier finished as he looked away from the view screen and towards the X-Men.

_Finally_! Remy thought as he cracked his fingers, long ago needing to get up and stretch his muscles. He was just about to ease out of his chair when Xavier continued...

"Now, on to some more pressing matters concerning our faulty security system..."

_Merde!_ He wanted to pound on the table to help release all his pent up energy, but held back, not wanting to draw the professor's disapproving glare. Instead, he clenched his jaw muscles and curled his fingers into a fist. His eyes then connected with Rogue, who noticed his irritated expression and giggled at him. She playfully pointed her index finger to her temple, imitating a gun, and pulled the trigger.

All his frustrations melted away as he quietly chuckled with her–his smile fading when she again focused on the professor.

_It's been a month since Rogue and I promised t' take our relationship one say at a time and I swear it's been de best month of my life,_ he thought refusing to acknowledge his his exaggeration. _Wit'out de pressure of de bracelet dat's been locked away from us, we've actually managed t' focus on progressin' our relationship. Everyt'ing has been perfect except for..._

His train of thought stopped as he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye.

_...De Ninja Assassin._ His eyes drifted over to his right to steal a quick glimpse of his mortal enemy, looking studious as she watched the professor, sitting straight in her chair. She didn't fool him.

_Apparently, she and Rogue have become de best of friends. How de fuck did dat happen?_ It would be one thing if he thought Betsy was only using Rogue to get to him–but he could _feel_ her–at one time she felt nothing for Rogue, now he could feel her fondness for the Southern Belle.

Remy decided to put the thought to rest as he reached in his trench coat for a note pad and pen. He was always one to stick to the old ways, never trusting computers enough to write anything of secrecy on them. Computers were never 100 safe, he had broken into too many of them to think otherwise.

The small notepad was filled with pages–and yet he kept it for _emergencies_ _only_, never liking to leave a paper trail–however, the pounding of his heart caused him to slip and make an exception to his rule.

He began to write a quick note in neat handwriting. Once he was done, he rolled the note into a small ball and prepared to flick it across the table.

Rogue was _watching_ the professor speak, but was not _listening_ to a word he was saying. Her perfect pose and alert position was only a cover for the back and forth conversation in her mind with her _new_ best friend.

_...No, yah didn't!_ She yelled mentally in response to a funny story Betsy had told her.

_Yes, I did,_ Betsy replied as they both silently laughed together.

_Oh, Ah believe yah,_ Rogue relented, shaking her head, _Only yah have the nerve tah say somethang so..._ her thoughts jolted to a halt as a paper ball hit her gloved hand. _Oh look_, she thought as she slowly unfolded the paper, trying not to draw too much attention to her.

Betsy took her eyes off the professor for two seconds just to get a visual on what Rogue was referring to.

Rogue read the note mentally to Betsy, _'Do yah lahk meh?'_ Underneath the question was a box marked 'yes' and another marked 'no'._ 'Check one and write back,'_ Rogue finished reading and then gushed to her friend,_ Oh how cute! This is almost exactly lakh the note Jason Carter gave to me in the 2nd grade after Ah helped him tie his laces._

Betsy rolled her eyes. _So am I to assume you assisted Gambit with the same plight?_

_Ha-ha! _She laughed sarcastically. Making sure Xavier wasn't watching her, she checked one of the boxes, scribbled a return message and flicked the note back to Remy.

Remy unfolded the ball and was delighted to see the box marked 'yes' checked _three_ times in dark pen. His eyes scanned the lower half of the paper where his girlfriend wrote:

_I can't wait until this stupid meeting is over so we can spend some time together._

_x o x o x - Rogue!_

He looked up from the note and gave her a wink as she smiled warmly. Her smile soon turned into a pout as she watched him stuff the paper in his mouth and begin to chew, swallowing any evidence of their loving exchange. He saw the hint of sadness in her eyes and knew exactly what she was feeling.

_She always complains dat I don't write her love letters._ He snickered to herself. _I'm sure if I did she would keep everyt'ing stashed in some kind of girlish love box along wit' clippings of my hair. Sure, de idea seems flattering now dat we are together and everyt'ing is goin' great, but as soon as de tide turns, she will have everyt'ing she needs for a voodoo curse. _He chuckled to himself, realizing the years of superstitious warnings from his Tante still had an effect on him.

And still, he couldn't help but sneak another peak at his love and notice how she gently bit the bottom of her lip, her mind seemed to have drifted elsewhere. At that moment a rush of emotions swept over him and he knew that he had to put a smile back on her face. He blindly reached for the pen and before he thought better of it, he the put pen to paper and wrote feverishly. Once he was finished he again rolled the paper into a ball–a much bigger ball than before–and flicked it in Rogue's direction.

The paper ball lounged forward, but suddenly took an awkward turn and headed in a diagonal direction, hitting Logan on the wrist.

_Shit! _Remy thought to himself in disbelief_. How is dat even possible? It goes completely against de laws of physics, not to mention de laws of pool._ His eyes immediately zeroed in on the _telekinetic_ Psylocke, who was smiling innocently.

"_What?"_ She mouthed the word.

He narrowed his eyes accusingly at her, but said nothing.

Meanwhile down the long table, Logan opened the note that seemed to have come out of nowhere. _Well, looky here._ Chewing on the toothpick in his mouth, he read silently:

_Staring at you now, silently watching the professor, I am at a lost for words and thank God that my pen can convey what my mouth cannot..._

Logan stopped reading the note, his mind racing thinking about the only person who would have sent it to him, even though it seemed impossible. _Could it be?_ He continued reading:

_...It's only a matter of time before I can finally touch your smooth skin, kiss your soft lips..._

'_Smooth'...'soft'? That don't sound right. _His eyes skimmed over to the end of the note; it was signed :

_Remy_

Logan snarled and looked down the table to the man he called Gumbo. Remy had a teasing smile on his face and wiggled his eyebrows playfully as Logan crushed the paper with his large hands. He was clearly _not_ amused with the thief's antics.

Again Bobby let out a yawn, capturing Remy's attention._ I don't t'ink I've seen dis guy sleep a wink in de las' couple of weeks or so..._

**Whack!**

A rolled up paper ball smacked Remy on the side of the face, courtesy of the Wolverine.

Remy snickered, garnering no resentment toward his fellow teammate. He deserved to have that mildly embarrassing incident happen to him to remind him of why he _never_ liked writing personal or incriminating things down on paper. _Leave it t' my feelin's for Rogue, causin' me t' do stupid t'ings._ Shaking his head, he added, _Can't believe I actually signed my name._

He held the paper ball in his hand and carefully released his kinetic energy, relishing in the sensation that flowed throughout his body–happy to find at least some relief from so much stored energy. Not too much, not too little; just enough so that the paper made a soft popping noise and exploded into nothingness.

Xavier looked up from his papers, distracted by the foreign sound.

The Cajun paused momentarily until the professor continued on with his report. Once the situation was clear, he again looked at his notepad. Because of his empathy, he knew Xavier was sucking the life out of the room. The only person he could tell was _not_ feeling drained was Scott, which was to be expected.

_Ol' Cyke mus' be on cloud nine now dat his papa's back safe and sound._ Remy didn't care about Scott's upbeat demeanor; he was determined to return everyone back to the relaxed atmosphere they had enjoyed over the last couple of weeks with the professor away.

In a nondescript style of handwriting, he jotted down a simple note, trying to contain his laughter while doing so. He folded the paper once diagonally and once horizontally and slipped it over to the drowsy person to his left, who he nudged awake with an elbow tap to the ribs.

Bobby's eyes opened wider as he jerked forward in response to Remy and saw the folded paper in front of him. He immediately smiled, turning to Remy who nodded at him. _Finally, somebody's up to some shit! _Bobby thought happily as he opened the note, making sure Xavier's back was turned when he did so.

Bobby opened his mouth wide with an exaggerated silent laughter after reading the paper and didn't waste anytime folding it back up and shooting it diagonally across the table to Logan.

The older man looked cautiously at the note before him, not wanting to be the fool a second time. _Seems like Gumbo is achin' for me t' punch him in the face._ However, he then realized Bobby was the one who gave him the letter and urged him to open it with a jerk of his head. Logan read the note and snorted as Rogue peered over his shoulder wanting to know what he was reading.

Logan handed her the note so she could get a better look. Before her giggles could escape her lips, she covered her mouth with her hand. _Oh mah Gawd!_

_What is it?_ Betsy asked, opening back up their mental line of communication because of Rogue's reaction.

Rogue chucked the paper across the table to Betsy who read it and snickered. Without looking at Rogue, she asked, _Who sent this?_

_Ah don't know._ Rogue was still laughing in her mind. _Ah got it from Logan._

_No way Logan wrote this, _she said shaking her head. _It's got to be Bobby._

_Or Remy, _Rogue added, finally looking down the table to her boyfriend who, all of a sudden, seemed to be so very interested in Xavier's boring lecture.

_Jus' look at him. Suddenly he's so into the professah's speech. The perfect cover._ She stared at Remy hard, wanting him to make eye contact with her, but he ignored her. _The guilty bastard won't even look at meh,_ she thought with a smirk. _Though the writin' is different than what he sent meh before._

Betsy folded the note and with her telekinetic powers, she channeled it toward Jean and watched as the redhead opened the note and placed her hand on her cheek, her mouth opened wide in the shape of an _'O'._

Scott noticed Jean's reaction which distracted him from listening to what was being said. _What's the matter?_ He asked with concern through their open metal link.

_You've got to read this, _she said as she shot the note toward him with her mind. She watched as he reached for the note before adding,_ It's so funny!_

Her words caused him to stop and re-fold the note. _Is this one of Bobby's pranks?_

_I don't know,_ giving it more thought, she said, _it does fit his M.O._

He shook his head. _It must be–Bobby's finally managed to wake up and instead of listening, he's playing games. We are in a very important meeting, this isn't the time or place for him to be messing around._

_Oh, sweety, it's only a joke._

He wasn't paying her any mind as he took the note and tried to pass it back to Bobby, who was sitting to his right.

Bobby saw what he was trying to do and shook his head no.

Again, Scott tried to shove the paper into Bobby hands as the younger man waved him off still shaking his head. Fortunately for him, he was in a position to see what Scott could not--and it wasn't pretty.

"Cyclops!"

Scott's body froze at the sound of Xavier's voice. Swallowing hard, he tried to cover the crumpled paper in his hand as he turned around in his seat to face him. "Yes, sir?"

The professor had been watching as Scott was forcing the note in Bobby's hands even though Bobby clearly wanted no part of it. "Is there a reason why you insist on passing notes during an important debriefing?"

_Shit! _Scott thought over many responses before realizing there was no right answer. "No, sir."

Xavier straightened up in his wheelchair and folded his fingers together, resting them on his lap. "Since you seem to be treating the War Room as if it were Junior High, I guess I should treat you as if you were a young teen." He stretched out his hand toward Scott. "Stand up and share your message with the entire room, since it's so important and cannot wait until dismissal."

Stifled sounds of laughter could be heard.

Remy sank lower into his seat as Rogue shot daggers at him. It was clear to him that she wanted him to jump up and confess to penning the note, saving Scott from certain humiliation. But he avoided her glare. _Mon pere didn't raise no fool._

_What the fuck did these guys get me into?_ Scott unsurely stood up taking a deep breath. He looked over to Xavier, who urged him to begin reading with a slight nod of his head. Scott looked down at the page and read the words out loud for the first time.

" 'Maybe it's just me, but Xavier's glistening, shriveled, bald head reminds me of my...left testicle.' " Scott looked toward his team for any kind of support, instead they lowered their heads. It seemed as if they were clearly enjoying leaving him hung out to dry.

Looking back over to Xavier, he concluded, "I guess it _is_ just me." He gave a nervous laugh.

"Seems so," he responded unamused. _I think he's had enough. _Xavier gestured for him to sit down. "Thank you for sharing that _clearly_ important antidote with us," he added dryly.

He gave a quick nod of his head and returned to his seat. "You're welcome, sir." Scott gave a quick look to his mates, ready to glare at them (even though he had on shades), but they all looked elsewhere, not giving him an opening to vent. He could tell even his wife was trying to hold in her laughter, her face becoming red from her efforts.

The professor looked toward his pupils. "Now that I have finally managed to capture everyone's attention, we can move on to other business.

"Once again, I would like to thank everyone for allowing me one night to my lonesome after I returned from Shi'ar space to gather my thoughts..." With a raised brow, he added, "...And to recover from _jet_ _lag_."

The team laughed at his little joke.

"Good one, sir," Bobby called out, seemingly impressed–he always was anytime the professor made a joke.

"Thank you." He smiled proudly having been complimented by the resident comedian. "Now that I am well rested, I can go over the latest development in World News." He took a deep breath. "It seems _Magneto_ has managed to put himself in the heat of controversy."

It was ever so slightly, but even out of the corner of his eye, Remy noticed the jerk of Rogue's body at the mention of Magneto's name and hated that the Master of Magnetism could still get a rise out of her.

Raising a hand, Ororo was called on to speak. "Does this have anything to do with Ronald Joe Johnson being wanted for the murder of 2 police officers?"

"That's precisely it," Xavier answered. "The United States government has reason to suspect Johnson was exported to the new Asteroid M almost a month ago."

"What does Magneto have to say about it?" Jean asked.

"He has not confirmed the suspicions," the professor then added remorsefully, "yet he has not denied them either."

Remy knew that game well. "He's toyin' wit' de government," he mentioned as an aside.

Xavier took notice of Remy at the back of the room, his thought process interrupted by the sight of the thief. _Gambit should know what he is talking about, having played many games before...and still._ "It seems like it," he finally responded. "But if Johnson _is_ on Asteroid M, I think it's safe to assume Magneto will not willingly extradite him."

"If that's true, Magneto is in the wrong," Rogue spoke out. "Ah mean, Ah've been watchin' all the stories on the news regardin' this _Ro_ _Joe_ guy. Officer Milton left behind a pregnant wife and a three year old son. Officer Tomken had a daughter that was gettin' ready tah go tah college." She was sadden by the entire story. "He deserves tah go tah jail."

Remy couldn't bite his tongue any longer. "He _deserves_ a fair trial. De media's been spinnin' dis story so much dat now everybody t'inks he's guilty wit'out knowin' de _facts_."

Rogue wasn't impressed. "Two dead bodies are the only facts _Ah_ need."

The thief shook his head. "There's _no_ way Ro Joe's goin' t' get 12 Jurors of his _peers_."

"Ya seem a lil' _too_ involved," Logan injected, taking the toothpick out his mouth. "Do ya know the kid?"

For a spit second it seemed as if the entire team held their breath as they waited for the thief's response.

Remy cracked a smile, finding the team's suspicion of him, in that moment, quite humorous. "Never met him before," he answered truthfully. _Officer Tomken on de other hand..._

_I know dat cop was up t' shit. He was dat tiny percent of de NYPD dat wasn't above dabblin' in a lil' crime t' line his pocket wit' cash. I had t' deal wit' him on many occasions. He was one of those guys dat I always had t' keep my shades on around. He hated mutants wit' a passion so much so, I can wait t' hear Ro Joe's side of de story before I can condemn him._

"Whatever the case," Xavier continued, "I've been called to act as a go-between for the government and Magneto. We've still haven't discussed anything with Magneto yet, he has been extremely busy with other things I have heard, still I will be spending most of my days trying to settle this problem." Xavier moved from the podium to the front of the room. "Which is why I am asking you all to bare with me. Yes, technically we are sill on vacation, but I have a feeling we may be called into action if anything goes aery. I image the next couple of days will be unpredictable. I'm asking you all to stay on at the mansion and to be prepared."

Xavier observed as his entire team nodded their head in acceptance of what laid ahead, all except for one.

**The Beginning of the End**

**(Magneto)**

Hundreds of miles high into the darkness of space, the second edition of Asteroid M hovered by its lonesome. The Asteroid was suppose to be a safe haven for all mutants who were willing to leave the old world for a promising future lead by the one known as Magneto.

Eric stood tall in front of six of his best men in the docking port. The few had been hand picked from the many by Eric. Each mutant had an ability the leader needed in order to accomplish his goal.

Eric stood beforehis men with hisfingers foldedbehind his back. "Is everyone prepared for our return to earth?"

The men of varying height and mutations nodded their heads, while some answered in the form of a grunt.

"You all must remember this is an _extremely_ dangerous mission and must be completed successfully if we are to maintain our form of life here on Asteroid M..."

"Magneto!"

His lecture was cut short as Kenny Cruz sprinted into the room, stopping short in front of him. He had gotten to know Kenny over the past couple of weeks and his fondness for the young man was the _only_ reason why he did not lash out in anger of being interrupted. With a controlled tone of voice, he said, "I assume this is urgent because we are about to leave on an important mission."

With a slight bow of his head, he replied, "Yes, it is." He paused a moment to catch his breath."Just wanted to let you know that the Pentagon is _again_ issuing an opening for a discussion."

_That is not of importance. _Eric turned away from his most trusted handler as he picked up his helmet. "I have already let them know I have no such interest."

"Yes, I'm aware," he said quickly, realizing that Eric was about to dismiss him. "But the Pentagon wanted to make it known the talks would be lead by someone named Charles Xavier."

His brow perked with interest at the mention of an old friend. "Xavier?" _It has been awhile._ Before he could reflect on the last time he had seen Xavier and the situation behind it, he looked back at Kenny. "As much as some time with Xavier is indeed tempting, I'll have to decline."

He scratched his blond hair. "So, I should let them know you are _not_ interested?"

"No." Proceeding to walk toward the pods, trailed by his men, he called out, "Tell them I need some time to think it over."

Kenny nodded in response as Eric and his group of six prepared to leave the serenity of Asteroid M for the uncertainty of Earth.

xxxxxx

**Author's Note:** Don't worry, in keeping with how Interaction was written, there won't be much written about Magneto and the X-Men fighting bad guys. The last scene was just a set-up for something later down the line.

Now I'm off to finish the next chapter of Stolen (which is one not to be missed), but don't be surprised if I get the epilogue of New Addition up before it.

Please review and let me know what you think so far.

**Next Time:** Picks up where we left with the X-Men. See how the relationships have changed over the past 3 weeks.


	2. Catching Up

**Note: **Thanks everyone for all the reviews :o)

**Interplay**

**Chapter 2**

**Catching Up**

**(Full Cast)**

Remy remained in his seat even after Xavier had dismissed the team. He wanted to leap over the table and talk to Rogue, but Betsy had beaten him to it–she had been doing that a lot lately. He silently watched as the two women blabbed to each other–what exactly, he did not know.

Still he watched as they laughed and took the time to examine their body movements. He had been tracking the progression of their relationship for the past three weeks, absorbing everything he could by observation and everything else from whatever information he could get out of Rogue. They seemed to have a genuine friendship–Rogue had finally found another girl to become close to and for that, Remy was happy...sort of.

_Of all de people Rogue could of picked for a best friend, she had t' go and get de **one** person on de team I can't stand._ However, he was willing to keep his grumbling to himself, realizing Rogue was her own person and would become upset if he were to voice his disapproval. _Hell, if I complain 'bout Betsy, Rogue would probably draw closer t' her jus' t' piss me off..._

He was so preoccupied with his girlfriend, he did not notice the man approaching him from the front of the room. He soon felt a tap on his shoulder and heard a chipper voice.

"Remy."

The thief turned around on his chair to see Xavier at his eye level. _He called me 'Remy'. Dere are certain people I'm not use t' callin' me by my real name and X is on top of dat list._ He smiled inwardly._ He mus' be tryin' t' butter me up._

"It's good to see you here."

The professor looked as if he were in good spirits–so much soRemy felt the need to test him. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, he questioned, "It is?"

Xavier was taken aback by his confrontational response, but relaxed somewhat when Remy softened his words with a grin.

"Of course it is," he replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "I would like to have a private talk with you later on."

"Oh?" He asked surprised. _I wonder what de ol' guy could wan'. _"Whenever ya're ready, jus' let me know."

Xavier gave him a pleasant smile. "Will do." With that, he left the younger man to his own devices.

Remy focused back on Rogue. To his displeasure, she was still yakking it up with Betsy. Rather than wait for them to finish talking, he decided to look for something else to cure his boredom.

_Bingo! _He spotted the perfect diversion to preoccupy his time for the moment. Remy eased out of the chair and made his way over to the second in command.

Ororo was standing hunched over the computer module, typing a seris of codes into the keypad. Her muscles tensed as soon as she felt the presence of someone invading her personal space from behind; however, the familiar scent of expensive (and most likely stolen) cologne caused her to loosen up.

She spun around and smiled as her closest friend kissed her forehead.

"How ya doin', chere?"

"Very well, Remy," she answered, looking over his head to the clock. "Given the trouble Magneto is stirring up, it looks like we are going to have some very hectic days in our future."

He shrugged without a care because truly, he did not care. "Looks like," he mumbled, ready to quickly change the subject. Resting his back against the computer consol, he asked, "Ya doin' anyt'ing de rest of de night?"

_Why would he ask such a thing? _"Remy, you of all people know my calendar is pretty much clear."

He nodded his head in acceptance. _Durin' de past lil' while she has been keepin' t' herself not really doin' much of anyt'ing. I hate seein' her so depressed. _"So maybe I can look out for ya later. We can hang out."

His caring words caused her low spirits to rise. "I know what you are trying to do and I love you for it," she said as she squeezed his cheeks causing his lips to pout. "But I _also_ know tonight is going to be pretty big for you and Rogue and I do not want you to ruin it with thoughts of me."

"But for de past couple of weeks we've been hangin' outa lot and..."

"...And you do not want it to seem like you are dumping me as soon as your girlfriend is finally able to touch, is that it?"

She knew him well. "Somet'ing like it." Taking a quick glance around them to make sure no one else was in earshot, he whispered, "Actually, I was t'inking more along de line of _includin_' ya in on Rogue bein' able t' touch."

She squinted her eyes with confusion. "How so?"

He wiggled his brows. "A lil' _menage a trois_."

She could not help but giggle. Shaking her head, she lightly pushed him away. "_Do_ know I would have slapped you across the face if I did not know you were joking." Before he could tell her he was not joking, she continued speaking, "And speaking of jokes, did you have anything to do with that note poor Scott had to stand and read to the team?"

He looked at her with mock outrage, his mouth opened wide enough for her to see his tonsils. "I'm offended ya would even ask me such a t'ing."

"You may be offended, but you are _not_ denying it."

He decided to laugh off her accusation instead of defending himself. A high pitch laughter caught his attention, causing him to steal a glance at the woman it came from.

Ororo looked over his shoulder at Rogue and turned back to Remy, noticing his faraway expression. _It is the look of love–a look that even **he** cannot hide_, she mused happily to herself. "You cannot wait, can you?"

_Dat's an understatement! _"We are dis close," pinching his index finger and thumb together, he repeated, "_Dis_ close."

"Yes, in all likelihood Rogue will be getting the reformatted Genosha bracelet back tonight, but do not think everything will be smooth sailing."

"But it _has_ been," he insisted. "De pass couple of weeks I've been de _perfect_ boyfriend..."

She gave him a knowing look which reminded him he was not speaking the complete truth.

"...aside from de occasional slip up," he corrected with a wink. "I'm not givin' her any excuse t' break up wit' me–no reason at all. It's a piece of cake," he assured cooly.

_He looks so happy, which makes me hate to say it, but..._"Dealing with Rogue has _never_ been so easy." Taking hold of his hand, she cautioned, "I hope you are up for it."

_Wit' an openin' like dat, I can't resist. _"I'm definitely _up_ for it." Pulling her closer, he pointed behind her and whispered, "And if ya accompany me around de corner, I can _prove_ it t' ya."

She held in her natural urge to laugh at his innuendoes, not wanting to encourage him further. "You better calm down, Remy," she warned. "If I feel it necessary I _will_ cool you off with a cold shower."

They both laughed. He was happy to see her forget her troubles and she was happy he could always give her a reason to smile.

Jean had been spying on the two and used their moment of laughter to make her entrance. "What's so funny?" She asked ready to join in on the fun.

"Oh," 'Ro looked surprisingly over to her best friend a bit caught off guard. "Remy was just..."

"If ya will excuse me." With a slight bow of his head, Remy left the two women to themselves.

"Bye," Ororo tried to say, however he was already gone from her side. She faced Jean perplexed. "That was _odd_."

"See!" Jean grabbed her wrist. "I told you he's been avoiding me."

"Right," she agreed, nodding her head in remembrance, "you did mention something about that the other day."

The redhead trailed Remy with her eyes as he zigzagged across the war room. He had an added bounce to his step as if he knew he was being watched by her and reveled in the attention. "All I want to do is give him a proper thank you and he won't let me."

"Just let him be Jean. He will come around eventually." Ororo did not know the specifics of the situation between Jean and Remy, both choosing to keep their little tiff to themselves. _Whatever it is that has caused them to be at odds cannot be all that serious. _"Besides, you have been spending so much time with your husband, you and Remy barely have had any alone time to work through your problems."

Jean bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, but she was not successful. She was beaming bright enough for her best friend to take notice.

"You have had that smile on your face for a couple of days now at the mere mention of Scott." With a hand on her hip, she asked suspiciously, "Is there anything I should know?"

Looking away from her, she answered coyly, "No, not now anyway." She then spotted Logan just as he was heading for the exit. Not wanting him to leave before she had the chance to speak with him, she yelled, "Hey, Logan!"

He stopped inches from the door cursing underneath his breath. "What?" He grumbled, cracking his neck in her direction.

'_What_'! She decided to overlook his rudeness and motioned for him with her hand. "Come over here."

He stood momentarily, almost sure he would have blown Jean off if Ororo had not been by her side. Never passing up an opportunity to spend time with his ex, he joined their little huddle. "Hey," he greeted Ororo with a slight nod of his head.

"Hi," she whispered, almost shyly.

Jean then captured his immediate attention by tugging on his elbow until he looked her way. "Did Xavier talk to you yet by any chance?"

_What? _"No."

"Oh," she responded flatly–'no', was not the answer she wanted to hear.

He raised a brow. "Was he suppose t'?"

Jean firmly closed her lips, giving a telling look which spoke volumes even though her mouth remained shut.

Ororo picked up on her friend's expression right away. Nudging Logan in the ribs, she informed, "That look means she must know something."

He zeroed in on her, not one to play around. "Spill it, _Red_."

That was all the prodding Jean needed to spread her gossip. "Listen to this," she lowered her voice as the other two hunched forward, "looks like the professor is going to have a talking with _all_ of the people who were involved in the mishaps a couple of weeks ago."

Ororo wiped the imaginary sweat off of her forehead and sighed with relief. "Thankfully that leaves me out."

"And me too," Jean added proudly, briefly easing upon her tippytoe.

The girls then turned to Logan.

"Shit,"he mumbled, rolling his eyes. _That's exactly what I need, **another** lecture, _he thought sarcastically. "So what? X is gonna get on my case for messin' up the security system?"

"Looks like," she answered regretfully. "Because of you, the systemis still down."

With a gentle hand on his shoulder, Ororo reassured him, "I am sure Xavier will not be too hard on you."

His emotions perked up, not so much because of her reassuring words, but because of the physical contact. "Ya think so?"

"No," she said in good humor as Jean giggled.

He mustered a smile, happy that Ororo felt okay enough to joke with him again. Still he wanted more, but was not sure she would ever be ready to give herself completely to him as she had done in the past.

_Wait a mintue..._Ororo was stuck on something Jean had said earlier."Xavier should be speaking with you too. Didn't you brake the professor's priceless vase in your little scuffle with Betsy?"

_I still can't stand to even hear her name, let alone be reminded about what she forced Scott to do! _"I'm sure you remember the situation surrounding that incident." Her words were filled with venom. "_I'm_ off the hook, _Psylocke_ isn't." Her attention soon drifted to her husband. "Oh, Xavier's finished with Scott," she said, already beginning to move away from them. "See you two later."

"Bye," she called out, silently begging for Jean to stay.

The former lovers stood facing each other--the person who brought them together had now left them alone to linger in an awkward moment of silence. Their time with Jean was an example of the many situations Logan and Ororo had found themselves in over the past few weeks. Logan would marvel at how relaxed Ororo would seem when they were in a group of three or greater; however, whenever they were alone he could tell Ororo was itching for an excuse to leave.

_Someone should give this girl an Oscar._

The fact she would not look him in the eyes once Jean disappeared was not lost on him. He hated how their once close relationship was now so distant.

Trying to bring back the light atmosphere, Logan picked up on what they were discussing earlier. "Ya know, ya have a part t' play in the downed security system too."

"Excuse me?"

"I messed up on the codes because I was rushin' t' meet up wit' ya."

She smiled at the memory. It was at a time when their love had been blossoming and Logan would have done anything to rush to her side and finally express their love for one another. "I'm sure you would agree that at the time it was worth it."

He took a step closer to her, not caring if anyone else in the room could see them. "It's _still_ worth it."

Taking a step back, she stopped him from getting closer with a hand on his chest. "Logan..."

"Excuse my interruption, Ororo." Xavier said as he hovered beside them.

Logan grinded his teeth at the sight of the professor. _Fuck_!

"Do you mind if I have a moment alone with Logan?"

It was hard for her to hide her relief. "No, professor, not at all." Refusing to looking again at her ex, she left them be and headed toward the exit.

Logan watched her until she disappeared out the door into the basement hallway. He then pulled out a cigar and placed it unlit between his lips. "What's up, Chuck?"

**x**

Jean started off in the direction of her husband, but soon stopped short.

_Shit._

She quickly made a detour, having been beat out by Remy who had already captured her husband's attention. The sight of two smiling and chatting together was still hard for her to become accustom to. Rather then interrupt them right away, she let them have some time alone.

_I really don't get Remy. Yes, a while ago we were bitching back and forth because Rogue in one of her mischievous personalities put us against one another. But when he snuck in my house and left me the most thoughtful present I thought for sure he wanted to make up._ Anxiously, she began to fiddle with the ends of her hair. _Instead, he has grown more distant and won't even be near me long enough to apologize or say thank you._

Watching the two men, and seeing Remy was in a good mood, she reasoned it would be the perfect time to act.

"...Don't worry about it. I'll get the DVD from you later." Scott told Remy as they stood in the middle of the room.

Over the weeks he had been spending much more time with the allusive X-Man. Usually the only time the two would speak to one another was when Scott had to _give_ orders or when he had to discipline Remy for _disobeying_ orders. Their relationship might have remained the same if not for one night weeks ago in front of the boathouse. It was the first instant where the two men started to connect on a personal level and they had been connecting ever since.

_Who would have thought I'd be getting marriage advice from Remy–and that he would actually know what he was talking about,_ Scott laughed to himself. "So, what did you think?"

"It's de _T'ree_ Stooges–I t'ought it was _classic_!" He was getting excited just thinking about the old show. "Remember de part where..."

"Hello, boys." Jean said cheerily, interlocking her arm with Scott.

Remy choose not to looked at her. _Dat's my cue t' exit._ Taking a step back, he gave his leader a small salute with the tip of one finger. "I'll leave ya two t' yourselves."

"See you, later." Scott wrapped his arms around his wife's waist, pulling her closer towards him and gave her cheek a quick peck. "Hey there, beautiful."

She barely felt his kiss, her mind completely centered on the dillydallying of another man. "That's the _second_ time in a matter of minutes Remy's side stepped me–not to mention the way he's been avoided me for _weeks_."

He widened his eyes even though she could not see them. "How _dare_ he!" He stated sarcastically.

Clutching his uniform, she rested her forehead on his chest in a dramatic fashion. "Scott, this is _serious_," she wined, sneaking another peek at Remy. She watched him laughing and carrying-on as he sat on the war room table flipping his many cards over Bobby's head. "At first I was feeling guilty, now he's just pissing me off."

"Why are you getting so upset over it?" He held her tighter, lowering his chin on her head. "Just leave him be and he'll come around."

"That's almost verbatim what Ororo said," she mumbled, looking back at Scott. "I know how close you two have become. Has he said anything to you about me?"

"Nope."

"I don't believe you," she said flippantly to hide the truth in her statement. Clapping her hands together, she suggested--almost pleading, "Maybe _you_ can talk to him for me?"

He shook his head adamantly, waving her off. "_No_ way. I'm staying out of this. It's between _you_ and _him_. Besides, I'm sure you can handle Remy on your own."

_Wasn't Scott the one who once told me to never play a game with Gambit? _"It's _Gambit_ I'm dealing with and he's obviously playing a _game_ with me." Pouting, she mumbled, "I'm pretty sure I'm going to need reinforcement."

**x x x**

Rogue clutched her side as she laughed out loud, unable to control her volume. Betsy was telling another one of her many adventures again and Rogue could hardly control her giggles.

"I'll never do that again..." Betsy's voice trailed off as she noticed the thief approaching. Trying hard not to roll her eyes, she watched as he wrapped his arms around Rogue from behind, silently resenting his interruption of her story.

Even though she was still looking at Betsy, Rogue's face lighted up as she leaned into her boyfriend's embrace. Her gloved hands covered his as it rested against the lower center of her stomach.

Remy avoided any eye contact with Betsy, still a tad upset with her for using her telekinetic power earlier on to disrupt the destination of his private note. He leaned into Rogue's ear, so close, but never touching. "So, we goin' now or what?" He asked in a low murmur.

If Rogue did not have his arms for support, she was certain she would have melted to the floor at the sound of his voice. He could always say the right thing and have that effect on her, though she realized lately it did not take much for him to get a reaction out of her. _Maybe it's 'cause Ah know the moment we've been waitin' for is jus' around the cor..._

**Sigh!**

The irritated sound of her newest best friend cut into her train of thought. "Soon," she finally responded to his question. Turning around to face him, she wrapped her arms around his slight but muscular shoulders. "Betsy told meh a minute agoshe has some thangs for meh in her room."

"It's a surprise," the ninja cut in with raised eyebrows.

"Raht." Rogue playfully rolled her eyes. "And yah know how Ah _hate_ surprises, but Betsy _swears_ it's a good one."

"It _is!" _She protested in good-nature.

Remy eyes wondered from the glow of his girl's loving face to the jealous violet eyes of the closest thing he had seen to an enemy in weeks. "How long will it take?" He asked in a calm manner.

"Really, I can't put a time limit on it," she responded vaguely, both of them putting on an act for the sake of the woman in between them.

"Ah'll jus' meet yah in _yahr_ room when we're finish."

"But we all ready made plans..."

She pinched his cheeks. "Oh, Remy, don't sulk."

His eyes danced with amusement at her choice of words, causing the end of his lips to crack into a grin. _Don't t'ink I've ever sulked passed de age of t'ree._ "Never meant t' _sulk_, chere." His smile faded as his eyes again connected with Betsy. "Jus' seems like Psy is always stealin' ya away from me."

"Funny," she snorted as she took on a defensive stance. Both could feel the decorum of the moment slipping away. "I was just about to say the same thing about _you_."

They stared at each other in silence, daring the next one to escalate the now civil conversation into one of confrontation. They had managed to keep their tension between one another at bay for the last three weeks––always on the verge of an argument, but never quite crossing the line––funny how they would choose that particular evening as an opportunity to drudge up past threats.

However, all the hostility was lost on Rogue who had noticed the beginnings of her nightmare start to take effect. "Shit!" She dropped her hands from around Remy's shoulders and quickly spun around to face Betsy.

"What?" She asked in confusion before Remy had a chance to ask the same question.

Xavier joined the somewhat circle of their small group. "Betsy, Rogue," he greeted the women with a slight nod and friendly face.

Betsy returned the polite expression. "Xavier."

"Hi, Professah," Rogue said almost shyly as she looked more towards the floor than to him.

Xavier first look to Betsy, the Ninja Assassin, a telekinetic, and more importantly, a fellow _telepath_. "Psylocke, I will be needing to speak with you later on tonight."

She nodded her head without a care. "Sure thing."

Turning next to Rogue, he observed how she refused to look at him, as if she was too scared to do so and yet, he had expected that reaction from her. "And Rogue, as you should know, we have matters to discuss." His eyes could not help but noticed how Remy's arms were around her waist holding onto her hands. He could see how much their relationship had changed since he last was at the mansion.

She nodded her head faintly, her voice sad. "Yeah, Ah know."

Again he addressed the entire circle, though he looked more in Remy's direction and again said, "I'm glad to see you _all_ here."

Remy gave an inward smile as he replayed Xavier's words in his mind. _Twice in de matter of 15 minutes. I guess he's **really** glad I'm here._ Still, he was no fool and some part of him could not wait to hear what exactly Xavier wanted to discuss, though more specifically, what Xavier wanted to discuss about _Rogue_.

When Xavier was clear across the room, Rogue squeezed his hands tight, mindful of her super strength. "Aw, hell!"

"What's wrong?" He asked.

_Ain't it obvious!_ "Yah heard Xavier," she responded in a loud whisper. "He wants tah _talk _tah meh."

"So?" Betsy did not understand her anguish over the situation. "He wants to talk to me too, but you don't see me stressing out."

"That's 'cause _yah_ didn't spend the first week of yahr vacation _lyin' _tah Beast, _withholdin' _vital information from Scott or dyin' _twice_ due tah alcohol poisoning and a _gross _misuse of a Genosha bracelet!" She crossed her arms in a huff, hating that she felt like a child who had just been told to go to the principal's office after school. "He's goin' tah call meh into his office tah lecture meh about how disappointed he is."

"Well, dat's what ya get for not followin' de rules," he teased as she furrowed her brows even more. "X-Men code clearly states dat alcohol is _not_ t' be consumed."

"Oh, hush up!" She whispered harshly, poking her finger repeatedly in his chest. "Especially when _yah _were the one that gave _meh_ the alcohol. When Xavier starts chewin' meh out later on tonight, Ah should jus' blame the _whole_ thang on _yah_!"

He could see she really was nervous about her meeting with Xavier and although he wanted to continue teasing her, his instinct to protect her was stronger. "If dat will make ya feel better, I'll take de hit for yah."

His willingness to sacrifice himself for her caused her to regret her earlier choice of words. "Thanks for the offer, sugah. But this was mah fuck up and Ah'll have tah own up tah it."

Nodding his head to Betsy, he concluded, "Spoken like a true recoverin' alcoholic."

As the two women laughed, Rogue playfully hit him on the arm with such force he wasn't sure if she was really playing.

**x x x**

Rogue stared at Logan from across the room, waiting for him to make eye contact. She watched as he leaned against the wall, arms folded and an ever present scowl on his face.

_He's been wearin' that scowl for weeks now_, she thought to herself.

She knew he was avoiding her stare–doing anything he could not to meet her gaze, but she also knew he would slip and she had all the time to wait for it to happen.

Within a minute, he could not help but look her way.

_A-ha!_ Rogue used that as her opportunity to approach him, totally ignoring how he quickly looked away from her and eased himself from the wall.

"What's up, _bub?_" She yelled slapping him on the back, preventing him from trying to sneak away.

A muffled answer was his response as a cloud of smoke invaded her space.

She refused to let her hatred for the smellof smoke stop her away from bugging him. "Ah saw the professor givin' yah an ear full," she teased. "What was that all about?"

"What have I told ya 'bout mindin' yer own damn business?" He growled.

"Obviously not enough," she answered smiling. "Yah didn't even get into trouble when he was away."

He refused to correct her assumption.

"Oh wait," she remembered snapping her fingers. "The security codes!" Taunting him, she shook her head with disappointment. "Thanks tah yahr mess up, we still have tah constantly patrol the outer perimeters even though we're _suppose_ tah be on vacation."

"Ya could use the practice." Removing the cigar from his lips, he continued, "Speakin' of which, ya've been brushin' me off for a while now. How's yer relationship goin' wit' Gambit?"

She could not resist. "Mind yahr own damn business."

His eyes locked with hers–an instant reminder of who she was dealing with. "Don't get smart wit' me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she whispered. Glancing lovingly across the room to her boyfriend, she smiled proudly. Three weeks together _without_ a breakup was unheard of as far as her relationships were concerned. "Remy and Ah are doin' great."

"So, Xavier is suppose t' give ya back the bracelet tonight?"

She bit her bottom lip, the happy expression being replaced by one of worry. "That's the plan."

He examined her solemn demeanor. _And here we go again. I bet she's already searchin' for an excuse t' bail out on her relationship wit' the Cajun_. "Ya don't seem too excited."

"Don't yah start," she warned, pointing her finger inches from his nose. "I'm excited to get the bracelet back, I'm just hoping Xavier doesn't give me too much grief over it."

"After all the shit ya caused wit' that thing, ya deserve _much_ more then grief."

"Oh, Logan, shut up," she said with aggravation and turned around in a huff.

He did not care he made her angry. "You better not have me waiting on you later on."

She waved him off. "Whatever."

"I _mean_ it," he yelled out to her before becoming the second X-Man to leave the War Room.

**x**

Betsy waited patiently across the room for Xavier to finish his conversation with Bobby. Seeing Bobby's distraught face only increased her curiosity in what they were discussing. Without a second thought, she slipped into Bobby's mind so delicately, he did not even realize she was there. After a couple of seconds she came out of his mind, gathering all the information that was needed.

_Poor Robert is so confused. The professor chews him out for recklessly handling the security system and then tells him in the next breath that it **wasn't** necessary for him to refund the cost of the damaged item_. Betsy smiled happily knowing Bobby would refuse Xavier's pleas to take back the money. _His pride will not allow him to take back the $325 000 he borrowed from me to reimburse Xavier, which means I still have a servant._

Once the professor moved away from Bobby, she walked over to him and tapped his shoulder.

He spun around to face the beautiful Assassin and could tell she was ready to tear into him.

"I would ask you if you picked up my supplies yet, but I already happen to know you overslept," she said tapping her index finger on her temple.

Bobby rolled his eyes. It was obvious she had already searched his thoughts. She would usually do a quick scan of his mind on occasion, especially when she wanted answers to question she knew he would lie about.

_I would have told her I already got the supplies and just slipped out tomorrow morning to get them. It shouldn't matter anyway, she doesn't need the items until sometime tomorrow afternoon._

"It isn't your place to tell me when my supplies are needed, only to get everything on the list I provide you by the date that's written."

_And she's reading me again. _Bobby bowed his head for a show of respect. "If you will forgive me, Your Majesty." He took her hand and pressed it against his forehead. "I shall never under mind your authority again."

Betsy laughed off his sarcastic remark, notingthe more time they spend together the less effort it took for him to put a smile on her face. She was willing to admit she had been hard on Bobby, but wasn't willing to show that she was weakening.

"If you go into the city now the stores will be open."

"The city?" His eyes bugged out. "You mean _Manhattan_?"

"Of course _Manhattan_. All the stores in this backward town are closed."

"Can't I just go tomorrow?" He wined.

"You could." She gave a sly grin with the realization that Bobby's laziness would be in her favor. "But then I'll just consider this a _freebie_."

Yes, he had to work off his debt to her, but he knew his body–after all the errands he had to run for her, plus his other X-Men duties–he was just too tired to get behind the wheel of a car. _It's my screw up. I should have picked up the supplies earlier today._ Throwing his hands in the air, he relented, "Fine, it's a freebie."

Betsy crossed her arms, smiling triumphantly. Walking out of the room into the hallway, she stated, "I expect to have the 10 items in my room before midday."

Trailing behind her, he pointed a finger in the air and corrected, "_Nine_ items."

"Excuse me?"

"There are _nine_ items on the list not ten." He reached into his back pocket and took out a folded paper still chasing behind her. "You probably just missed counted considering you didn't number the list."

"_Miss_ counted?" She repeated with disbelief. "I've been counting successfully since _before_ the age of two, I don't _miss_ count." Grabbing the paper from his hands, she unfolded the note she had written to him the day before. She looked over her personal stationary, her fingers brushing across her gold initials in the left hand corner. She glanced at her fancy handwriting, rereading over everything that she had written. Her eyes stopped suddenly once it skimmed down to the bottom of the list.

_Oh shit! _She halted and spun around to face her man-servant. "There is an item _missing_."

Bobby shrugged. "You must have forgotten to write it."

Briefly looking up from the page to him, she stated with certainty. "I _don't_ forget." _This doesn't make any sense_. "I wrote down _ten_ things."

Pointing to the last line of the page, he replied, "Obviously you didn't."

She examined the paper with great scrutiny, turning it over just to make sure there was nothing written on the back. "_Obviously_ there was some kind of mixup." Her sharp eyes looked at him accusingly, willing to believe he must have done something to the paper then to believe she had made a mistake.

_Why is she freaking out about it?_ "So you _forgot_ an item." He ignored the seething look directed at him. "Why is it so hard for you to admit?"

"What's so hard for her to admit?" Scott asked, suddenly joining the conversation.

"That she forgot..."

"Nothing," Betsy interrupted him with a plastered smile on her face. "Nothing at all."

The team leader of the X-Men was far too sharp to overlook Bobby's words. _Betsy forgot something? _Scott looked her over with concern. "Forgot what?"

"I forgot how much of an idiot Bobby can be on occasion," she answered easily sidestepping his probing. "I can't believe he wrote that note about Xavier."

_Fuck! I knew people would think it was me. _Quickly he looked over to Scott, shaking his head. "I _swear_ I didn't write it."

Betsy pressed the button for the elevator. "It was either you or Gambit."

He scoffed at her remarks. "Deflection, deflection. You're just covering your tracks." Titling his head in her direction, he suggested to Scott, "It could just have easily been _Psylocke_."

Betsy rolled her eyes. "Right, because Xavier's glistening bald head resembles _my_ balls."

Scott chuckled shaking his head. "How do you explain that, Bobby?" He asked as the doors opened to the elevator.

"Hey, _hermaphrodites_ do exist," he replied cracking a smile. Giving her ribs a little tickle, he joked, "But don't worry, I'd still _do_ ya."

She bit her lips, trying in vain to keep the smile from her face. "Lucky me," she whispered.

As they stepped into the elevator, Bobby laughed off her comment as he did every time she would flirt with him, or any other member of the team. However, Scott eyes shifted in her direction, reacting more to her facial expression then to what she had actually said. _If I didn't see everything through a red haze, I'd swear Betsy's blushing._

The elevator door closed.

**x**

Remy sat on the edge of the long table, shuffling a deck of cards. The people in the War Room were beginning to clear out so he became one of the few to stay behind, waiting for Rogue to pull herself away from one of the computers. He was starting to become antsy, never liking to stay in the War Room for longer then he had to–it reminded him too much of work when he was suppose to be on vacation.

Remy looked up toward the ceiling and exhaled loudly, hoping his exaggerated restless sound would help speed Rogue along.

It did not work.

To pass the time, he decided to think about the future--the near future. Within the hour, Rogue would get back the Genosha bracelet which would negate her powers for up to eight hours. Within the hour, Rogue would be in Remy's room. Within the hour, Rogue would activate the bracelet.

_Now what will I do wit' those eight hours?_ He grinned devilishly, his raging hormones getting the better of him. _Would it be too forward if I jus' push her onto de bed and mount her?_ Mulling over the question for a couple of seconds, he concluded,_ Nahhh!_

During the past couple of weeks as boyfriend and girlfriend, he would think constantly about Rogue when they were apart and even when they were together. With each approaching day, Rogue would be wearing less and less clothes in his mind's eye, to the point where it was sometimes hard for him to concentrate on anything else. Rogue had chastised him time and time again for not listening to her when she spoke–she would complain he was not paying attention to her–if only she knew his problem was that he was paying _too_ much attention to her.

Even now as he waited for her to finish up, his mind was consumed with thoughts of their first night together. He tried to shake the thought from his head, before his daydream could prevent him from walking properly.

He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers and when his eyes again opened, a pair of troubled green eyes was examining him with worry.

He sat up straight, trying not to get lost in her stare, though it was nearly impossible.

She placed the back of her hand on his forehead even though her gloves prevented her from getting a grasp of his temperature. "How are yah feelin' now?"

Grabbing hold of her hips, he pulled her between his legs. "Huh?" He muttered, finding her waistline more interesting then her question.

Moving her hand to the side of his face, she explained further, "When Ah first saw yah this mornin' yah said yah woke up with a bad headache."

"Oh yeah." He rubbed his head, suddenly remembering the pain he had felt hours ago. "Don't remind me. It was awful."

She gave him a once over. Compared to earlier in the day, he looked like his old self again. "Yah seem much better now."

"Yeah, I'm as good as new," he reassured her. _I ain't use t' gettin' headaches dat bad, though it really didn't last too long. _Seeing Rogue so concerned with his well being made him feel good–it seemed so right. It was the way things were suppose to be.

"What about yah're dream?" She asked snapping him out of his daze.

_Yeah dat's another t'ing. I told her I had de weirdest dream and it was at de tip of my tongue but I jus' couldn't remember it._ He shook his head. "I still don't remember it..."

"And Remy."

They both turned around to look down at Xavier in his hover chair. "Yeah?"

"The next time you feel like passing notes in the middle of a lecture..._don't_." Folding his hands together on his lap, he added, "No matter how much my head may remind you of a part of your anatomy."

Remy swallowed hard as Rogue gave his hand a little squeeze. Instead of denying the charges brought towards him, he decided to go along with a guilty plea. "Yes, sir," he responded humbly. "I'll t'ink better of it de next time."

Xavier moved passed them and out the exit of the War Room.

Rogue could not contain her laughter any longer as she yanked him off of the table. Pointing her finger in his face, she yelled, "Busted!"

Remy scratched his head. "But how did he know it was _me?"_

"Who cares?" She pulled on his arm leading him out of the room without giving him a chance to answer her question aloud.

_I do.  
__xxxxxx_

**Author's Note:** Okay, the first two chapters were just the set-up, next chapter is all about the one-on-ones!

Just to answer a couple of questions in the reviews:

Yes, I mentioned in the Interactions endnotes that Betsy/Rogue/Remy will have a sort of love triangle, but I didn't mean for it to be literal. I meant (as seen in their scene together) Remy and Betsy both like Rogue and can't stand each other (now that I think about it, it's not the definition of a love triangle, ;o) ).

This story will definitely have more mingling between different characters then in the last story. Because of past events, you can look forward to more scenes between Remy/Scott (now they are friends), Betsy/Bobby (she now _owns_ him), Betsy/Logan (she will soon _own_ him), Remy/Jean (I'm going to put a spin on their relationship that wasn't seen last story since they were at constant odds with each other), Rogue/Betsy (now best friends), and Ororo/Scott (they will soon share a common bond).

However for now, all the conflicts will be from within–and it time, there will be conflict from outside.

Also, Rogue being affected by Magneto has its place in the story.

And it was pointed out in the reviews that Betsy is not a telekinetic. Sorry for the slip (I always thought she was), but it did work well for the first chapter (the rolled up note _needed_ to get to the other end of the table ;o) ). Besides this chapter and the last, I'm pretty sure nothing else will be mention of her telekinetic ability.

Thanks for all the reviews, critiques and questions. Don't forget to tell me what you think of this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapters out sooner along with the next part of Stolen ;o)

**Next Time:** Betsy's surprise is not to Remy's liking, Rogue and Remy discuss their _future_ (what happened to one day at a time?) and Xavier makes an offer.


	3. Peace OfferingsName Game

**x :** Scenes are happening around the same time.

**x x x :** Time has passed between scenes.

**- - - :** Flashback scene.

**Interplay**

**Chapter 3**

**Peace Offerings**

**(Xavier/Remy)**

Xavier waited outside of Rogue's bedroom door. Out of all X-Men he would have to talk to regarding the pass four weeks during his absence, Rogue would be the most difficult. He took a moment to gather his thoughts in preparation for all that he would have to tell her.

Rogue had always been a team member he could rely on. She would always be up for whatever mission came her way; she would always be available to accompany him when he needed to go out of state to check on his other students. Back then, years ago, she never turned him down. With Logan going off on his own adventures, Ororo dividing her time between the team and the Morlocks, Warren leaving periodically due to his business dealings, Scott getting married and moving to Alaska and Jean being '_dead_' from time to time, it was always great having arguably the most powerful X-Men at his disposal.

_And then **he** came along._ Xavier rubbed his head in deep thought. _The first time Rogue ever took a spontaneous leave of absence was the result of her ongoing saga with Remy. Well, at least when she left, Remy decided to stay...but then he had to stay, he was in a coma. _

_Then he woke up and left the mansion in search of find Rogue, but returned a week later without her. _He shook his head._ Not to mention the troubleRogue caused when she later returned with Joseph in tow; or the mess that resultedafter she made up with Remy and later dumped him again because of the Massacre revelation...and then she eventually forgave him, but he didn't forgive her and within time they finally forgave each other..._ He rolled his eyes, drained from having to rehash their unstable union.

Xavier stared at the door and within time, knocked on it. What lay in their future--the future for all man/mutant-kind--would be decided within the next couple of days. He was there at Rogue's door to make sure she would again make herself available in his time of need.

The door swung open in an instant, leaving no time for Xavier to hide his shock from the thief who answered the door. "Remy?"

"Expectin' t' find a leggy southern belle?" Remy asked rising his brows. "Sorry t' disappoint ya."

"I'm not disappointed. I wanted to speak with you as well." He really did not intend to spoil Remy and Rogue's time alone, but he refused to leave. "May I come in?"

"Ya may." Remy stepped aside as Xavier hovered into the room, looking around for any sign of Rogue. "Where alone," he answered, even though Xavier did not voice his question.

"It's been a long time since I've been up here. Years." He maneuvered around her room, taking the time to examine all the fancy dolls and stuffed animals which decorated the dresser top, night stand and everything else that had a surface. "Many changes."

"De animals?" Remy asked knowing precisely what Xavier was referring to. As he walked over to the other side of the room, he explained, "Over de years Rogue would add one or two here and dere 'til..." He slide open her closet door and pushed aside the row of hung clothes to expose the contents in the back . "Voila!"

The professor stared with stunned silence inside the walk-in closet. All the shelves, which _should_ have held folded clothes or shoes, were filled with even more dolls and cuddly animals. Seeing all the eyes staring back at him was beginning to spook him out.

"A li'l obvious, hien?"

He shook his head regretfully. _After all these years, I assumed my therapy sessions with Rogue helped her deal with the troublesome side effects of her mutation. How wrong I was._ "Each doll represents a voice in her head," he thought out loud.

"Hell, even _I_ knew dat and I didn't waste a 100 grand t' get my _doctorate_," Remy replied matter-of-factly. "De last couple of weeks I've been secretly liftin' an animal every chance I get." Picking up a stuffed elephant, he bragged, "I got around 50 or so, she hasn't even missed dem."

Remy's brazenness caused Xavier much concern. "And what _exactly_ are you trying to accomplish?"

He shrugged. "It's my own version of therapy. Less expensive den what other shrinks cos'."

"Need I remind you of what you said earlier?" He asked annoyed. "You did not _waste_ a 100 grand on your _doctorate_. You are _not _a practicing doctor."

Remy snicked, slowly shaking his head. "Shows what ya know. Ask de girls 'round my way." He fell stylishly onto the bed, facing the professor. "I've been a _practicin_' doctor since de age of five."

Xavier had no trouble imaging a pre-school Remy hiding in a corner, so he could play _doctor_ with a pig-tailed classmate. "I'm not surprised," he mumbled rolling his eyes as Remy lay beaming. Xavier wanted to caution Remy on how dangerous it was to interfere with Rogue's fragile mental state, but decided against it. _I know he will not heed my warnings._ Instead, he began to rehash his lecture from earlier on in the War Room.

Remy remained silent for a couple of seconds waiting for Xavier to get around to why he truly wanted to see him. Watching the seconds tick by, he decided to be the one to finally move things along. "So ya wan' t' cut all de side talk and get down t' why ya're _really_ here?"

"Excuse me?"

"Let's be real, X. I've been on dis team for years and dis is de _first_ time ya ever requested a personal chat wit' me."

_That is a gross exaggeration._ "I only wanted to _talk_ to you," he responded defensively.

"Ya _only_ want t' talk 'bout _Rogue_."

"To be fair," he countered, "I want to talk about Rogue..._and_ you."

He was through with going around in circles. "Out wit' it, professor."

_I guess there isn't much sense in stalling anymore._ The few seconds of silence added a heaviness to the previously playful atmosphere. In all seriousness, he asked, "What are your intentions with Rogue once she receives the bracelet?"

"_Intentions_?" Remy chuckled at the professor's choice of words, shaking his head. He found it quite humourous that after years of ignoring Rogue, Xavier was now trying to be protective of her. "So, now ya're takin' on de father role?"

"Seeing as how she was placed in my custody as a juvenile, I don't see why it should be so shocking. "

_I know what dis is really about. _Remy sat up and move toward the edge of the bed, his feet planted firmly on the floor. Sitting directly in front of Xavier, he stated, "Ya're worried dat we are goin' t' take off and leave de mansion."

Choosing not to hide his concerns, he asked, "Do I have reason to be?"

Remy let the silence hang in the air–he loved how Xavier found the uncertainty of their future at the mansion, unnerving. _I guess it's hard for a telepath t' be face with a cloud of uncertainty. I bet ya he's t'inking, 'if only I could read his mind and know what he is up to'._ He laughed to himself. He loved the fact that his mutation made his mind _his_ alone--free from being the playground for telepaths. "Rest assured dat Rogue and I _will_ be here tonight and ya will still see us tomorrow."

Xavier folded his hands on his lap and gave a relived smile. At least he had conformation that not all hope was lost.

Leaning forward, the thiefcontinued, "But I can't make any promises 'bout de day _after_ tomorrow."

The professor clenched his jaws. _Leave it to Gambit, to still be playing games._

**(Rogue/Betsy)**

After the debriefing in the War Room, Rogue only had enough time to quickly dip into the change room and get into her civies. Once dressed in fitted blue jeans and a long sleeve white shirt, she raced upstairs to Betsy's room in search of her surprise.

Rogue's eyes were shut tight. She had been sitting on her friend's neatly made bed with her legs crossed for longer than she could stand and her curiosity was starting to get the best of her. She could hear Betsy's rustling as she moved around the room, sounding as if she were rummaging through countless bags. Rogue was dying to open her eyes, but thought better of it. _If Betsy caught meh with mah eyes open, she would probably take away mah gift_. Instead, she decided to cover her eyes with her hands in an effort to try to combat her temptation.

Her sudden movement caused Betsy to lose focus and look over to her accusingly. "Are your eyes closed?"

"For the _tenth_ time, yes!" When she again heard the rustling noises, she parted her fingers for a tiny peak, but was not able to see much. Closing her eyes again, she asked, "Can Ah open 'em now?"

"No."

"How much longer?" she wined. "Ah can't feel mah legs anymore!"

Betsy briefly examined Rogue's sitting position and took pity on her. "I only need a couple more seconds."

_One Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Missis..._ Her thoughts quieted down once she could not hear anymore noises coming from Betsy. "Now?"

"You ready?"

"Yes!" The anticipation was unbearable.

Standing over her, Betsy commanded, "Open them."

Rogue removed her hands from her face and opened her eyes just as Betsy began to sprinkle something over her head. She could barely make out all the different things decorating the bed due to the share volume.

"Surprise!" She yelled, laughing at Rogue's confused reaction as she continued to litter the bed with condoms.

Rogue looked up as Betsy sprinkled little square packages all around her unto the bed. "Betsy! What're all these thangs?"

"Stop being so naive, Rogue." Hoping next to her on the bed, she greeted, "Cheers, mate! Welcome to the world of the sexually active."

"Oh mah Gawd!" She had finally got a clear view of the empty bags all over the floor. '_Guilty Pleasures'_...she read the name on the bags. "Yah went tah that sex shop in that seedy part of town!" She could not believe it, even when Betsy nodded her head in response. "Yah're the one that told meh only _pervs_ go in there. Ah can't believe yah actually _walked_ into that place."

She shrugged as if it were truly nothing. "I know I can be a pain when it comes to your relationship with Remy. I wanted to do something for you–to put a smile on your face."

"Yah jus' about bought out the whole store!" Rogue reached for one of the packages and looked back at her friend. "Flavored condoms?"

"I like these ones the best." She smiled wickedly holding up another package with strawberries on the front.

Rogue dropped the condom she was holding onto the bed with the others that were in a pile. "Ah'm _positive_ Remy has ample supply of condoms."

Betsy held out a package of three for Rogue to take, refusing to hear any excuses. "Women should always carry one just in case."

"Odds are Ah can't get pregnant," Rogue explained ignoring the condom in Betsy's outstretched hand. "Plus Remy _swears_ he's clean and even if he isn't, Ah can always touch Wolvie..." Her voice trailed off as Betsy still held out her hand. Instead of thinking about more excuses, she begrudgingly accepted the condom.

Betsy smiled, happy Rogue was able to listen to reason. "You don't know for sure you can't get pregnant." _Now that she has the bracelet, it changes everything. _"And a guy can get really stupid when his dick gets hard. Reaching for a condom is the last thing on his mind, which is why you should always have one and do it for him."

"Ah guess that is good advice." She looked back to the pile on her bed, scanning over all the other things that were there. "Condoms, diaphragms..._Spermicide_?" She asked picking up a spray can.

"This _one_ is a representation of the case of 24 I bought you."

_Betsy can be so ridiculous at times._ "Don't yah think that's overkill?"

"Hell no! Last thing you want to do is give birth to the spawn of Satan." Grabbing the can, she test sprayed a bit into the air.

Rogue took in two quick sniffs of the mist. "Smells lahk peppermint."

Reading the directions on the can, she mused, "Maybe if I spray this around Gambit's door, it will prevent him from ever leaving his room." She sighed hopefully. "If only I could be so lucky."

Rogue choose to ignore her remark, her eyes all ready onto something else. "What this?"

She grinned mischievously as Rogue reached around her for the long pick object that she had to pull out from underneath something else. "Is this..."

She nodded her head feverishly and answered, "A dildo."

Rogue dropped it from her hand. "Betsy!"

The ninja grabbed it and held it up. She flicked the on switch and the penis began to make a buzzing sound as it wiggled around, causing Rogue to burst out in giggles. "One night alone with _this_ and you will realize how useless Gambit really is."

She stopped giggling long enough to give Betsy a suspicious look.

"Or, so I've heard," she added, trying to cover her tracks.

Rogue took it from her and switched it off. She examined it closely, having never been so close to the real thing. _Ah'm sure this isn't an exact replica. _Looking back to Betsy, she questioned, "A li'l big, don't yah think?"

"Yeah, you're welcome," she joked, but she could tell Rogue seemed in way over her head. "Don't worry, it's one size fits all," she said flippantly. "You can ease your way into it."

"Yah're too much." _Which is why Ah love her. _"Yah went _way_ over board, but thanks for doin' this for meh, _Brit_."

"Anytime, _Missy_."

Rogue opened her arms and leaned over to Betsy who did not hesitant in giving her a big hug. It was one of the things that stood out for Rogue when she first started becoming friends with Betsy weeks ago. _She was never afraid tah get close tah meh. She still isn't even nervous about givin' meh a hug. _Pulling out of the embrace, she noted,_ The only other person Ah'm use tah behavin' lahk this around meh is Remy._

Betsy quietly watched as Rogue rummaged through the pile. She smiled with her, when she found a pair of edible panties, trying to find the right time to bring up a delicate subject. "So, you're getting the bracelet back from Xavier today?"

"Ah'm suppose tah," she answered, now examining a pair of g-string underwear.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," she answered a little too quickly and a little too perky for Betsy's liking.

She grabbed the underwear out of Rogue's hands, so that she could have her undivided attention. "How are you _really_ feeling?"

She took a deep breath as she wading through all the emotions in her mind, trying to find the ones that belonged to her. "Anxious...nervous..." Feeling more at ease, she confessed, "Scared out of mah ever lovin' mind!"

_Bingo! I knew things couldn't be going so well. _Always willing to listen, she asked, "Why?"

"Everythin' has been goin' so smoothly for us _without_ the bracelet." Tugging at the end of her glove, she stated softly, "Ah'm jus' afraid that our relationship will change once we're able tah...touch."

"I'm not going to lie to you, Rogue." With a hand over Rogue's hand, she admitted, "Your relationship with Gambit _will_ change."

Rogue let out a sigh. That was something she did not need Betsy to confirm. _Why couldn't she jus' comfort meh with a lie instead of lace meh with the brutal truth._

"_But_," she continued, "the trick is to take all the energy that is between the both of you and turn it into a _positive_ change."

Rogue looked to her hopefully.

"If you try really hard enough, the change _will_ be for the better."

That was what she needed to hear. "Ah know how yah really feel about Remy, which makes yahr words of encouragement all the more beautiful."

_I'm sure she doesn't know how I **really** feel about Gambit. To say I don't like him would be an understatement. _She sighed. "True, I can't _stand_, Gambit. But I know he _does_ love you--in his own _obsessive_ kind of way," she mumbled the last part. "And his love for you is what makes me knowyour first time with him will be unforgettable."

Her kind words were enough to make Rogue's eyes well up with tears.

"And _when_ you brake up with him in the next week or so..."

The tears soon evaporated as she rolled her eyes.

"...you'll have something to keep you satisfied during the lonely nights." Betsy again lifted up the dildo as Rogue held her stomach with laughter.

**x**

Xavier remained calm, even in the face of Remy's cocky demeanor. The thief had basically told Xavier he had less than 48 hours before he and Rogue would leave the mansion in a time of impending crisis. Remy seemed to be taking his confession in the same lighthearted carefree way he lived his life; however, Xavier did not have the luxury to smile along with him.

In his best poker face, he stated, "_You_ want to leave the base with Rogue and _I_ want you both to stay." Watching Remy's every move, he asked, "Why don't we come to a compromise?"

He gave a sly grin. "Why compromise when dere's not'ing preventin' me from gettin' my way?"

_He's got a point but_..."Someone as smart as I know you to be, would at _least_ hear my offer."

_He's right 'bout dat...de t'ing about me being smart._ "I'm listenin'."

Xavier knew he was taking a big risk by going forward (it was never a wise move to gamble with the Cajun), but he only had a limited amount of options. "While on Shi'ar I decided not to let all their advance technology go to waste. I had Lilandra's top scientist improve 10-fold on the Genosha collar."

_After all dese years of Rogue not bein' able t' control her powers, now he suddenly decided t' use Shi'ar technology? _He had to bite his tongue to keep from voicing his suspicion.

"The _new_ bracelet when activated can negate her mutation at _anytime_ and is not limited to Beast's 8 hour rule."

_Oh shit! _It was easy for Remy to play it cool when he was doing cartwheels on the inside. But his joy did not last for long. _Nothin' in dis world is for free._ Without missing a beat, he asked, "What's de catch?"

_Of course he is suspicious, and he has reason to be. _"Well, instead of staying for 2 more days like you intended, I need you to stay on for _only_ a week."

_Only a week? _The offer was indeed tempting. _If Rogue had de new bracelet, I'd be able t' touch her whenever I wanted wit'out her havin' t' constantly be t'inking 'bout de 8 hours. Still if I stay here any longer den necessary, who knows what will come of our relationship._ He did not need to think anymore, the answer was clear. "Ya can keep de bracelet. I plan on leavin' on schedule wit' Rogue."

"I'm–I'm sorry to hear you say that." Even though he had prepared himself for Remy's refusal, he was still stunned none the less. "It's just that I may need you both here. With Magneto silently threatening to nuc our country..."

"Don't ya get it?" He asked exasperated. "If it's not Mags it's Apocalypse, if it's not Apocalypse it's Omega Red or de Shadow King...it's always goin' t' be _somet'ing_. If we don't take dis time t' ourselves now, we may never find de chance again." He paused a moment with the purpose of trying to read Xavier. The professor had so many conflicting emotions, he wondered if Xavier was purposely trying to give off mixed signals. _I better butter him up, so I don't escalate our disagreement. After all, I am dealin' wit' one of de most powerful mutants._

Being as sincere as he could, he explained, "Xavier, ya took me in–made me a part of your team based on your trust of 'Ro. And at first 'cause of my past, I had no business bein' a part of de X-Men, but because of your faith in me, I've finally earned my place." He gave a small smile, one absent of his usual cockiness. "T'ank ya for givin' me de opportunity. But I _need_ dis time away so me and Rogue can focus on our relationship for once–t' see if we actually have a future together."

He nodded his head in acceptance. _I know when to raise the white flag._ "How long will it take you to find out?"

"Only a month."

He gave Remy a look. Yes, it seemed as if he was speaking the truth, but Xavier knew better then to take the word of a self-proclaimed thief–he was not gullible. "How long will it _really_ take?"

"Two months tops," he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "We _will_ come back. Dis is Rogue's home; I could never take her away from here."

He sighed heavily as he decided to give in. "If you really need this time alone, you have my blessing." Xavier stretched out his hand and Remy wasted no time shaking it.

"T'anks, professor." _Dis was easier den I t'ought it would be. _He got up from the bed, giving an unspoken gesture which meant he was ready for Xavier to leave. "Oh, by de way," he added before he would forget, "how did ya know I was de one who wrote de note 'bout your testicles." Before Xavier could respond, he continued, "In other words, who ratted me out?"

"Actually, _you_ were the perpetrator."

Xavier did not have to explain further.He nodded his head knowingly. "Ya accused me of writin' it and instead of me denyin' it, I took de bait." He snapped his fingers in disgust at how easily he folded. "Rookie mistake."

"I was surprised you fell for it."

Suddenly worried his refusal to accept Xavier's offer would backfire, he asked, "Can Rogue at least get back de original bracelet?"

_That was never in doubt as far as I was concern._ "I said I would give it back to her and I will." He followed as Remy lead him to the door. "Just one more thing."

He opened the door and turned around. "Yeah, what's dat?"

"You may not know this, but long ago I use to have regular therapy sessions with Rogue to help her along with her mutation."

"Really?" He rubbed his chin, acting as if his memory was foggy. "Now dat ya mention it, I t'ink she might have said somet'ing t' me 'bout dat way back when."

"One day, for whatever reason, she decided to stop having the sessions."

_Lil' does he know dat reason was me. I warned Rogue dat she shouldn't let Xavier have complete access of her mind like dat. Her, lyin' on a couch in his office as he played God wit' her subconscious left her vulnerable. And as I once hold her, 'when ya're vulnerable, don't trust anyone.' T'ankfully, she wised up and let Xavier teach her how t' control de voices in her head, and she has been doin' it on her own ever since. _He snapped back to reality, once he realized that the professor was still talking.

"Even so, I know a lot about her mental stability." He could tell that Remy acting as if he was not interested, but he knew it was a lie. "Rogue has been picturing this moment in her life for so long, it has become perfect. If her reality deviates even slightly from what she has imagined..."

"No need t' worry, sir," he cut him off, pretending as if he were truly confident. "I'm _exactly_ what she's imagined."

He hoovered passed the thief through the door and asked, "Are you sure about that?"

His question trigged something in Remy. It did not take long for him to realize that, that something was deja vu.

**x**

Betsy was talking a mile a minute, so much so, Rogue was unable to understand what she was saying. It had happen to Rogue before–Betsy speaking so fast her English accent would go into overdrive as she peppered her story with her native slang. Usually Rogue would ask her to stop talking and go over the definition of such words as "razz", "gee'd up" and "tosser"; however, this time the reason why she was not understanding Betsy was because her mind was preoccupied with something else.

"Betsy, can Ah ask yah somethin'?"

Even though she was in mid sentence, she answered, "Shoot!"

Rogue opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She bit her bottom lip.

"Just spill it. You're not going to make me blush."

She snorted anxiously as she ringed her fingers. "Eventually...when Remy and Ah.."

She guessed, "...Have sex?"

"Make _love_," she corrected.

Betsy rolled her eyes, examining her nails. "Whatever."

"What should Ah do, yah know...tah make him feel good."

_Oh, for the love of..._"Rogue, you're a _virgin_," she stated sitting back down on the bed. "He's not going to expect you to be swinging from the chandlers. He knows you're going to be timid, nervous...the fact that he's your first is going to give him a hard on. Really, all you have to do is just lie there."

She lookedaway from her, causing Betsy to have some doubts.

"He is your _first_ isn't he?"

"Huh?" It took only a moment for her to realize what Betsy was implying. "Of course! Why would yah even ask that?"

"I don't know," she lied. She soon thought better of it and spoke the truth. "Carol mentioned..."

"What did she mention?" She asked sounding confrontational. She did not mean to have such a outburst, but just the thought of Carol caused so many different emotions. _Mah skin crawls jus' thinkin' about how much control she had over mah body and mind. _

"She didn't mention anything really." She starred intensely at Rogue, wanting to examine her every movement. "Only that you were freaked out in Genosha. That she had to take over and get you out of there."

"Did she say anythin' else?"

"No."

For whatever reason, Betsy's answer made her feel more at ease. "Yes, Ah was freaked out, but _nothin'_ happened in Genosha. Ah remember everythin'."

_She remembers everything? That's an odd thing to say._ The weirdness of Rogue's reply escaped her mind once she thought about something else she had always wanted to ask Rogue. "What about _after_ Genosha?"

"Hmm?"

She grabbed her hand and held on to it tightly. "You have _got_ to tell me about you and Magneto in the Savage Land."

She threw her hands in the air. "Here we go!" _Ah remember comin' back from the Savage Land and hearin' all the whispers and pretendin' Ah didn't notice everyone starin' at meh._

"_Please!_" She wined then waited a moment for Rogue to give her any kind of gossip, though nothing came out. "Come on! You did not have your powers, Magneto lost quite a few years from his old headmaster days and was looking absolutely gorgeous..."

"But..."

"Plus, when the X-Men finally met up with you, you _barely_ had on any clothes..."

She cut her off with absolute certainty, "Believe meh when Ah say yah're goin' down the _wrong_ path."

Crossing her arms she looked her over. "That's not a denial."

"We did _not_ have sex!"

Betsy waited a moment so Rogue could cool down. Inching closer to her, she asked softly, "Then what _did_ you have?"

"Talks," Rogue answered simply. "All we had were nice long talks."

"Wow!" Betsy shook her head. "And here I thought you two must have had at least some kind of sexual relations. Having talks is a _lot_ worse than a one night stand. You fell for him didn't you?"

Rogue thought a long time before she answered, "Anythin' Ah may have felt for Eric disappeared after he went back tah his ol' ways." How could she not have thought back to her time on the island with Eric? _He was so confident, so strong and yet so conflicted and vulnerable. Ah could never forget how he saved meh–how he gave meh mah life back. Ah could never forget how he lead us tah battle in victory. And Ah can't forget the way it all ended. _Snapping out of her daze, she admitted, "Ah fell for the man he _could_ have been, what Ah _wanted_ him tah be...not for the man he is."

"And what about Gambit?"

She was taken aback by Betsy's question.

"Are you falling for the man he _is_ or the man you _want_ him to be?"

Rogue could not help but look guilty. "But Ah don't want him tah be much."

Betsy had no intention of letting her off so easy and so she repeated, "What do you want him to be?"

The question was a simple one for her; it was something she had been obsessing on for a long time. _After all these week of us bein' back together,Remy still hasn't said it._ Barely above a whisper, she stated, "Ah wan' him tah be the kind of man who _isn't_ afraid to tell meh he loves meh."

"That would mean you would have to be the kind of woman that isn't afraid to hear him say it."

She was willing to accept Betsy's criticism. "Ah know as much as what's wrong with him, there is _way_ more wrong with meh. That's why we're takin' it one step at a time, forgettin' about the past." Hugging her pillow tight, she pledged, "Ah am not gonna run away from his love. Ah _promised_ him that. Ah'm _not_ gonna give him an excuse tah leave meh."

She clenched her teeth in anger. _How the hell did Gambit manage to twist her?_ "You're giving him too much power over you. Remember, _you're_ the one with the bracelet, _you're_ the one in control. Trust me, you can do whatever you want; he isn't going anywhere."

"Ah know what yah're gettin' at, but Ah _love_ Remy. Ah'm not gonna play any games with him."

Whispering underneath her breath, she said, "Then I hope you don't mind if I do."

"What?"

"Nothing," she responded with a plastered on cherry smile.

Rogue caught a glance at the digital clock on the dresser. "Shit!" She leapt from the bed. "Ah'm suppose tah meet Remy in his room."

"Don't forget your surprises." Betsy began to scooped up everything from the bed and threw them into the shopping bags. Handing Rogue four bags, she asked, "Do you want some help carrying everything to your room?"

Throwing two bags over her shoulder, she answered, "No, thanks, Ah'll be fine. Hopefully Ah'll find some room in my closet tah stuff everythin'." _Ah **so** don't wan' Remy tah see any of this._

As Rogue made her way to the door, Betsy called out, "Wait! There's one more bag."

She spun around, looking defeated. There was no way she could carry another bag. It wasn't that they were too heavy to carry, it was because the bags were too bulky to fit anymore on her arms.

Betsy laughed at the hopelessness of the situation. "Since you have no more room on your body, I'll just carry this one for you."

"Oh, Ah got room." She then opened wide and Betsy knew to place the handle in her mouth as she bit down. "Goo-nigh, _Briiit_," she tried to say through clench teeth.

"Sleep well, _Missy_." Betsy opened the door for her and closed it after she passed through. She shook her head laughing to herself as she reached for her silky bathrobe.

Xavier saw Rogue coming out from Betsy's room and assumed that she had seen him, but he was wrong. Rogue was not paying attention as she walked right into the side of his hover chair, causing most of her bags to fall out of her hand and mouth.

_Shit! _"Ah'm _so_ sorry," she cried, quickly picking up the bag from her mouth that fell sideways into his lap. "Ah wasn't lookin'." Before he could notice the bundle of g-strings that had fallen onto him, she hurriedly plucked them from his lap slipped them into a bag.

"It's no trouble," he replied as he reached over, wanting to pick up what had fallen on the ground.

"No!" She yelled as she dropped to the floor, stuffing everything back into the bag. "Ah'll pick everythin' up."

Since Rogue was picking up everything so fast, he sat back up. "It's my legs that don't work _not_ my hands." Feeling that something was lodged in his side, he added, "I can help you pick up your..." he pulled out a long pink object that was wedged between his side and the corner of his hover chair.

Her face grew bright red. Seeing her mentor with a 9-inch penis in his hand left her momentarily speechless. "_Stuff_...mah _stuff_," she managed to finish his sentence before he could. Rogue snatched the dildo from him and threw it into the bag.

"..._Riiiiiight_," he said sarcastically, as they both ignored the buzzing noise that was now coming from the bag.

Not able to stand hearing the noise any longer, she reached into the bad and turned the dildo off, too mortified to even look back at the older man.

Seeing how uncomfortable she was, Xavier refrained from lecturing her in the middle of the hallway. "I need to see..."

"Ah'll be in yahr office," she cut in.

Hovering passed her, he said, "Give me 15 minutes."

"Will do," she answered, before rushing into her bedroom.

**(Rogue/Remy)**

Rogue noticed Remy sitting on the small sofa in the corner of the room. She was suppose to meet him in _his_ bedroom, but was too upset to question why he was there.

Dropping the bags on the floor, she dived onto her bed and covered her head with a pillow. "Ah've never been so _embarrassed_ in mah entire life!"

He found her dramatic behaviour amusing. Easing off of the sofa, he sat down beside her on the bed and gently rubbed his hand up and down her back. "Are ya sure 'bout dat, chere?" Instead of waiting for an answer, he continued, "What 'bout de time ya were flirting wit' de postman and hada big chunk of spinach between your teet' or de time ya walked into de rec room wit' a maxi pad wrapper stuck on de ass of your pants..."

Peaking out from underneath the pillow, she gritted her teeth, "Are yah _tryin_' tah be funny?"

"I'm _tryin_' t' give ya some perspective." Rather than risk ticking her off even more, he picked up two of the bags on the floor. "What are all dese t'ings?"

"Like a _hundred_ condoms, all of which rained down on Xavier! He mus' think Ah'm a total sex freak."

"Ain't not'ing wrong wit' dat," he quipped.

As Remy begin to sift through the bags, she sat up on the bed and wondered, "What is he doin' up here anyway?"

Tossing the contents of the bags unto the sheets, he looked at her in confusion. "Diaphragms?"

His question brought her out of her anger long enough to realize that Remy was not suppose to be in her room and now she was unable to hide her gag gifts. _Ah hope he's not gonna make a big deal about this._ "That was Betsy's surprise."

Shifting through the pile, he paused a moment. "Spermicide?"

Rogue forced a smile. "Surprise!"

His grip tightened over the can. "Dat little Bi..."

"She only wanted tah help," she tried to calm him down as he picked up a condom. "She didn't mean anythin' by it."

He read the fine print on the package and looked back at Rogue. "Small?"

_Shit_. "How could she know which one tah get? Ah'm sure there are other sizes."

Picking up another package, he read, "_Extra_ small?"

Rogue laughed nervously. "See?"

"Believe me chere, she had t' go _way_ out of her way t' find a _condom_ dat says _extra_ small."

"She's only tryin' tah protect meh."

"_I_ can protect ya. I _have_ condoms."

"She says guys can get stupid in de heat of de moment. She says sometimes dey forget..."

"She, she, she!" As he continued to dig through the bags, it was not long before he found the one thing Rogue was trying to hide. "What de fuck...is dis?" It was a rhetorical question; he knew _exactly_ what it was--he had one just like it. _A dick, it's a dick!_ "Dat's it!" He got up from the bed and stormed toward the door.

Rogue trailed behind him. "Remy, it was only a joke."

He spun around. "It's _not_ funny, chere."

"Honey," she rubbed his chest trying to cool his temper, "Jus' forget about it. Please?"

It was something so easy for her to say, but _impossible_ for him to do. _How can I forget it when hours after me and Rogue got back together, Betsy t'reatened to break us up_. Cupping her face, he questioned, "Chere, ya know I can't stand her, right?"

She nodded her head.

"Dis isn't anythin' new. Before ya two became de best of friends, I couldn't even look at Psy."

"Yeah, Ah know."

"And what if I had told ya t' stop hangin' out wit' her?"

They both knew the answer to that question. "Ah would have cussed at yah," she mumbled guiltily.

_Exactly_! "So I kept by mouth shut even though I know she can't stand me either. I'm sure every time ya're around her she can't wait t' slam me by tellin' ya how worthless I am."

"Not _every_ time," she corrected.

"Since de time we got back together, have I ever said a bad word 'bout her?"

"No, yah've been wonderful!"

"Dat's 'cause I know how much ya've always wanted a girlfriend."

"Bobby would _never_ spend two hours in a shoe store with meh," she pouted.

"Which is why I've bitten my tongue at every dirty look, sly comment or obscene gesture she's given me when ya weren't lookin'."

_She's been doing all of that tah him without meh knowin'?_ "Betsy _is_ pretty crafty."

His anger grew as he concluded, "But t' _hell_ I'm gonna stand here and let her use ya t' _kill_ my sperm, tell me my _dick_ is small and dat I need a foreign object t' get ya _off!"_

If he wasn't so upset she would have been blushing. "Yah really think that's what she's doin'?"

"Rogue, please," he responded, too annoyed with her naivety to argue his point any further. "Don't worry; _I'll_ straighten her out." He went for the door nob, but she blocked him.

"Let _meh_ talk tah her." He again tried to reach for the door, which caused her to beg, "Please?"

If it were anybody else, he would have been able to use their emotions to filter his, but he did not have the ability to do it with Rogue because of all the personalities in her head. All he had to help him calm down was the pleading tone of her voice and the look of despair in her eyes. It took everything he had in him to calm himself down. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Goin' crazy–losin' my cool."

She pierced her lips to keep from smiling. The fact that she was able to cause such a rush of emotions in him had always been flattering. _At least it shows he cares about meh–maybe even loves meh, even though Ah still can't get him tah admit it out loud._ "Yah're forgiven." Seeing that he was indeed better, she reasoned it was okay to leave him alone. "I gotta go see Xavier."

_Time t' get back de bracelet._ His back was to the door and before she could reach for it, he said, "One more t'ing before ya go."

"Yeah?"

With an expression that was deadly serious, he warned, "Don't tell anyone 'bout our plans, especially _not_ Xavier."

"Ah know," she said with annoyance. He had been warning her for days now. "Ah'd never tell _Xavier_."

_Xavier_? Her using the name Xavier caused him to become skeptical. "Ya didn't tell Psy, did ya?"

"No." _He doesn't believe meh._ "Promise," she answered truthfully.

Instead of quizzing her some more, he reluctantly took her word. "_No_ one can know dat when we leave de mansion, we _aren't_ plannin' on comin' back."

Lowering her head, she hoped he did not feel the chill down her spin. Yes, she was prepared to go away with him, but she still felt sad with the thought of leaving her family. "Ah haven't told anyone and Ah _won't_ tell anyone."

He gave a sigh of relief. "Bon."

Squeezing her hand one last time, he let her leave the room. Once he was assuredshe was no longer in the hallway, he made his way over to her dresser. Pulling out the bottom drawl, he carefully pushed aside her undergarments until he found a medium size book decorated in pretty flowers.

Very pleased with himself, he sat comfortably on Rogue's bed. _Looks like I got a bit of time t' catch up on some readin'._

**(Xavier/Betsy)**

Even though Xavier was in Betsy's room, she continued to go about preparing to take a bubble bath. As she reached inside her closet for a fresh towel, she informed him about what she was up to during the first few weeks of her vacation, making sure to leave out anything incriminating.

Fussing over herself in the mirror, Betsy concluded, "But, I'm sure you didn't come to my room _just_ to chitchat." She wrapped her pony tail into a tight bun before turning back to Xavier. "How may I help you?"

Giving her a pleasant smile, he answered, "I just wanted to stop by and see how you've been doing."

She sat on the edge of her dresser. "I've been doing just lovely..."

He raised a finger to hush her. "Before I let you go on any further, I feel I should inform you I've been in contact with Dr. McCoy."

The smile froze on her face. _He said **'Doctor'** for a reason_. "Am I to assume you've been discussing my medical information?" Betsy made it a point _not_ to hide her outrage._ Can't I have any damn privacy!_

"Now Betsy," he stated in a soothing voice, "you _know_ that I respect doctor/patient confidentiality; however, you _also_ know Henry is obligated to confide in my when any of the X-Men's medical condition could affect the balance of the team."

He was right, she knew he was right. His words of truth caused her to turn her head away in shame.

"Now, Hank hasn't given me specifics, but he has suggested I have a talk with you." Moving over to her he asked, "What's been going on?"

_It's not that I'm trying to hide my problems from Xavier, I'm just not sure I can handle the truth. _Betsy placed the folded towel on her bed and fiddled with it, her back to the professor. "Two weeks ago, I started having a throbbing pain at the back of my head."

He eased forward. "Wasn't that where..."

"Yes," she answered. Being a telepath it was too hard to break the habit of answering a question before it was asked–even if she could not read Xavier's mind. "I contacted Hank and we both agreed the pain was connected to my near murder at the hands of that _psychopath_."

It was now his turn to feel a sense of shame–maybe more of a responsibility. _**I** made the decision to have Sabretooth stay at the Institute for rehabilitation. Little did I know rehabilitation could never be an option for one so blood thirsty. Poor Betsy had to suffer the brunt of my failed experiment–it almost costed her, her life._

"Hank prescribed me some pain killers." Walking over to her dresser top, she grabbed the small bottle and gave the prescription over to him. She waited for Xavier to read over the lable. "I'm almost finish the pills and I've been feeling great!"

"That's good to hear." He looked up form the bottle. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"No."

He stretched out his hand. "Okay..."

"Well..." Betsy took back the pills, shaking the bottle in order to find something to do with her hands. "There is one more thing that I may not have mentioned to Beast."

"Yes?"

"Less than two weeks ago, I _might_ have forgotten to put ketchup on Scott's sandwich."

_Huh? _"Excuse me?"

Sighing deeply, she explained, "You see, while you were away, the gang started to get really chummy. Everyday we would have lunch together–it was our quality time. It was my turn to make snack and everyone yelled out their order while I made the sandwiches." She noticed the confusion on Xavier's face and decided to go into further detail, " 'Ro wanted whole wheat bread, mayo and tomatoes; Logan wanted white bread, turkey, chicken and salami; Remy wanted white bread, cheese and ham..."

Rotating his hand in a circular motion, he said, "Move it along."

"After lunch, Scott pulled me aside. He didn't realize until after he bit into his sandwich, but there was _no_ ketchup."

He started to realize what she could mean–how serious her situation truly was. "Is that what he ordered?"

"Yes."

He perked up in his chair. "You _remember_ hearing him say that?"

"Yes, plus I remember putting the ketchup in his sandwich!" Her anxiety began to increase.

"Has there been any other incidences of forgetfulness?"

_I hate hearing that word...forgetfulness. It's such a foreign concept for a telepath. _Reluctantly, she answered his question. "Earlier today I gave a list to Bobby. I wrote down 10 things...he showed me the list a little while ago and it turns out I only wrote down _9_ things."

"Really?"

She examined the way in which he rested his fist on his chin and calculated what could be wrong with her. The answer was all too clear for her to wait for a diagnosis. "My memory loss is connected to Creed isn't it!" Before he could reassure her, she continued, "He injured me more severely then we first thought, didn't he?"

"Calm down."

"What do you mean, calm down?" She brushed the loose strains of hair from her face. "We _both_ know what it means for a telepath to have a foggy memory..."

"Betsy, do I look worried?"

"No!" Which was partly why she was so irritated. _Something is clearly wrong with me and he hasn't as much as batted an eyelash._

"If _I'm_ not worried, _you_ shouldn't be worried." He moved close enough for him to grab her hand and squeeze it softly. "Tomorrow we'll go down to the basement and complete an in-depth brain scan. Then we will know _exactly_ what is wrong...if anything."

"O–okay."

She was still worried, he could tell by the uncontrollable shaking of her hand. "Relax, Elizabeth. If I thought you were in any immediate danger, I would run the test this second. But what you must do is inform me of any other sign of absentmindedness."

"Yes, sir." He gave her a wink and she smiled weakly as he released her hand. Regaining her composure, she asked, "Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

Sitting up straight in his chair, he was now out of professor mode and into leader mode. "There is _one_ more thing."

Betsy waited for him to continue, but he paused as if he were waiting for her to do something. "Go ahead."

"I think you should sit down for this."

She raised a brow with intrigue, but remained standing. "Oh really?"

**x x x**

**(Remy)**

**Name Game**

The diary was a bit lack luster. Most girls wrote long stirring entries about the trials and tribulations of their day–but not Rogue who, fair enough, was not like most girls. Her diary was scattered like her mind with scribbles and half finished sentences. At times she would colour in all the o's, other times she would underline all the e's. Sometimes her scribbles made no sense at all and no amount of re-reading could clear it up.

Remy turned back to the third page, which always left him scratching his head. On that page she wrote:

_I fast..._ and then drew a picture of a goat, or a donkey, he wasn't sure which.

Even though most things were hard to _truly_ understand, (like why did she have to state in thick dark letters that she loved chocolate ice cream and _not_ vanilla) he still opened the book again and again to read over the only words he _cared_ to understand:

_I love Remy. _

He flipped the page:

_Only Remy _

He skipped a couple more pages:

_Heart Remy._

Her love notes made him feel warm inside–even though it had a kind of psychotic vibe to it. He did not realize how wide he was smiling until his smile was replaced by shock at the words:

_I **HATE** Remy!_

That statement caused him to sit up on the bed. _What de fuck..._

_...But I still love him._

He quickly checked the date of the entry and smiled again. _Oh yeah. Dat was de day when..._

**- - -**

Remy stared down at her dumbfounded. He was waiting for her to crack a smile, but she managed to hold onto a serious expression. Just when he was about to give up, he could see the end of her lips begin to twitch. He gave her a gently nudge. "Get outta here!" Laughing it off, he stroked her hair.

"No _really_," she insisted. The way in which he rolled his eyes, caused her to get defensive. She furrowed her brows. "What?"

"A tattoo?" He asked again, just to make sure he had heard correctly.

"Yes, a tattoo."

They were both in Remy's bedroom, taking cover from the hot midday sun. Lately the bedroom (either his or hers) has been their go-to place when they wanted a bit of privacy. Remy sat comfortably on the sofa as Rogue laid her head in his lap.

She was covered up wearing a soft green jumpsuit with white trimmings and her standard gloves. The couple had an unspoken rule which stated that whenever Rogue had a minimal amount of skin exposed, Remy would be able to be around her in shorts and a t-shirt; however, if she decided to wear a short skirt and a v-neck top, it was understood that he would cover up and wear gloves. On this particular day, Remy happened to be in a long shirt and pants even though Rogue had on a lot of clothes because the A/C was on full blast.

He debated whether or not he should contine with the topic, foolishly giving in. "Ya know those t'ings are permeant."

She got up from his lap and crossed her arms. "What, yah don't think it's a good idea?"

Remy shook his head and chuckled. "I'm not walkin' into dat one, chere." _She's lookin' for a fight._

"So yah _do_ think it's a bad idea." _Of course he does. Ah remember him tellin' meh long ago that a thief, such as himself, should never have a memorable mark on his body._ Still she persisted in needling him. "Yah don't even know what design Ah want."

He sighed heavily, stifling a yawn. "Let me guess." Resting his back against the arm of the sofa, he asked, "A butterfly? A rose? De usual girly tattoo."

"Actually, Ah was gonna get a heart."

He was already bored with the conversation. "Shhhockin'," he replied sarcastically.

"With yahr name written on the inside."

_Huh? _Swiftly, he sat back up and moved back toward her. "_My_ name?"

"Not so stupid now, is it?" Rogue asked smugly.

"Never said it was stupid, chere."

"Not with words." She placed her arm on the side of his face so that he was totally focused on her. "Yah said it with yahr eyes."

"Really?" The spark of her hands on him, caused a flash in his eyes. "And what are my eyes sayin' now?"

Rogue moved in so close their nose was almost touching. "They're sayin' it's the best idea Ah've _ever_ had."

She was so close it was as if she was daring him to touch her. _And I **would** touch her too, if I knew she wouldn't jus' yell at me for takin' t'ings too far._ Still the temptation was hard for him to pass up, but he did not want to back step after a week of making such progress.

Without taking his eyes off of her, he reached over her and picked up a pen on the side table. He took the cover of the pen off with his mouth and said, "Your tattoo should look a li'l somet'ing like dis."

_What's he up tah now?_

Still gazing at her, he slowly moved his right hand between them toward the end of her shirt and began to raise it up. He immediately felt her tense and before she could protest, he promised, "I'll be careful."

She gave him permission to continue with a slight nod of her head. She could feel him drawing a bunch of lines on her lower stomach and held her breath until he finished.

"Dere!"

Once he sat back up, she was able to look down at what he had done. Drawn in black ink beneath her navel was a heart was the name **_Remy_** coloured thickly on the inside.

Given the position he had placed his name, she wondered, "A lil' obvious, don't yah think?"

His eyes twinkled as he again started drawing on her stomach then lifted his arm so that she could see his masterpiece.

Rogue looked down to see the slight alterations that were made. He replaced the name **_Remy_**, with **_Remy's_** and added an arrow pointing downward towards her...

"Now _dat_ would be obvious," he answered with a wink.

"Yah're too much," she giggled as she playfully shooed him away. "But Ah'll still get it. Minus the arrow of course."

"Of course," he mumbled regretfully.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed with a clap of her hands. Twirling her finger in his hair flirtatiously, she purred, "So where are yah gonna put _mah_ name?"

Remy froze, cursing himself for being so stupid. _I should have seen dat one comin'._ Only now could he see the mischief in her eyes and he could not believe he had walked right into whatever trap she had set. _What does she wan' t' do? Test my commitment? Does she wan' me t' give her a reason t' lash out? She still doesn't know who she's dealin' wit'. _

"Is there a problem, sugah?"

"No." Never one to back down, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it onto his bed. He was now sitting next to her in only a white undershirt and his hand out offering the pen. "Ya can put your name wherever ya want and I'll get my tattoo wit' ya." He called her bluff.

She nervously looked him over, never expecting him to actually go through with it. Before he could catch on to her hesitance, she took the pen and began to search his body with her eyes for the perfect place to have him branded. Rogue thought about placing her named below his navel, but instead decided to write over his heart.

She moved over to him, the collar of his undershirt low enough to have his chest exposed. There was no tan line that she could see–Remy was never shy about taking off his shirt whenever he was outdoors in the heat. Gently, she tugged down on his collar, giving her more room. She was so close she could feel his steady warm breath on the side of her face.

Remy swallowed hard as she pressed her hand against him, trying to find the perfect spot. _I wonder if she could hear how fast my heart is beatin'. _He reflected back to the time when they were broken up. _I could fool her into t'inkin' I didn't care 'bout her wit' an uncaring look of my eyes, a cold touch of my hand or a stingin' insult wit' my lips–but de quick beatin' of my heart whenever she walked into de room would always give me away._

Rogue did not notice how fast Remy's heart was racing, only because hers was going just as fast. It took all the control she had to be so close to his bare chest and not press her lips against his neck, his collar bone, his nipple. It took all the strength she had to keep her hand straight as she began to write...the R...the o...the beginning of a g...

The thief grabbed her hand in such a harsh way, it caught her totally off guard. _Oh mah Gawd! _She looked up to him with fright in her eyes. _Did Ah slip and touch him!_

His voice was steady, but had an icy tone, "I said ya could write _your_ name."

_What is he talkin' about?_

Leaning closer to her, he whispered, "Ya didn't see me write _Gambit_ on ya, did ya?"

She grinded her teeth, her body was steaming with rage. _Fuckin' bastard!_ Yanking her arm from his grasp, she whipped the pen at him and stormed out of the bedroom.

**x x x**

Rogue leaned against the large truck of an old oak tree. It was the middle of the night and she was not tired due to her mutation–which was why only she and Logan shared the bulk of patrolling the estate at night. She was taking a break at her favorite spot, starring at the cloudy sky with a sadness because the stars could not be seen. She always loved to star gaze–it was easy for her to get lost in the sky.

Out of nowhere a long stemmed red rose was presented in her line of sight. It took a while to realize that Remy was the person holding it.

"Pour vous," he said with a slight bow of his head.

She took the rose from him and twirled it between her two fingers. "Merci."

Glancing down at his watch, he confirmed, "12 hours and 37 minutes."

Rogue looked at him in confusion.

"Since ya last spoke t' me."

Guiltily, she looked away, shifting her feet. "Ah was wrong. Ah'm sorry."

"Ya're stealin' my t'under, chere."

_It wasn't his fault. _Looking back at him, she confessed, "Yah have no reason tah apologize. Ah overreacted...as usual."

"Only 'cause I pushed your buttons..."

"...As usual," they both added jokingly.

Remy was relieved she was able to find a way to laugh with him again. "I broke de rules. We aren't suppose t' talk 'bout de past and..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the faraway look in her eyes–he was used to seeing that look from time to time. _She's off in her own world._ "Rogue?" He called out, trying to bring her back to _his_ world.

The wind began to pick up, adding a nice breeze to the night. "Hmm?"

"What were ya t'inking 'bout?"

She heard his question, but was not ready to answer it. She brought the rose up to her nose and smelled it. "This is really beautiful."

"Yeah," he scratched the back of his head, "Hopefully 'Ro won't miss it."

Her hand dropped to her sides as the flapping wings of a bird, caused her attention to again drift elsewhere. The silence lasted a long time with only the wind moving through the trees making any noise. Out of nowhere, she stated, "There are some things Ah wanna forget, but Ah can't."

Using the tips of his fingers, he moved the few strains of hair from her face. He was able to put two and two together and figure out what she was referring to. "Why ya wan' t' forget your name?"

"It's not jus' mah name." _That would be simple enough._ "Ah wanna forget _everythin_' connected with it."

He could have replied, but choose to remain quiet in hopes she would reveal more. "Ah've come tah the realization that life is a circle. The faster Ah run away from mah past, the closer Ah get tah it." Barely above a whisper, her voice cracked, "And it scares meh tah death."

He cringed at that word. The one thing he never wanted was for her to be scared–not when he was with her. "Ya don't have t' be scared."

_Easier said than done._ "Remy, Ah trust yah more than anyone else in this world."

He could not stop the smile from covering his face. _Dat's what I wan' t' hear._

"And still, it's not enough for meh tah tell yah mah real name."

It hurt him for her to say that and he was not able to hide it. "Never?"

"If Ah ever do," she said holding onto both his hands, "yah'll know how far Ah've come."

"I can accept dat." And he had to, what else could he do?

His acceptance was all she wanted to hear and it caused her to smile hopefully. "Thank yah for understandin'...at least tryin' tah." She hugged him tight, so tight she was almost sure she heard him gasp. Releasing her hold onto him, she looked out toward the mansion. "Ah have tah continue patrollin' the grounds. Make sure yah plant this back in the garden so Storm doesn't freak out."

Before he could respond, she took to the air. Remy stood alone, watching as she flew further away. Once she was out of sight, he remembered the rose in his hand and examined the broken stem. Minutes before when he picked it, all he thought about was the happiness it would bring Rogue–he never gave the consequences a moments thought...until now.

"If 'Ro finds out 'bout dis, I'm goin' t' get fucked...and _not_ in a good way." He did not obsess on that thought for too long. Rogue had just given him some insight into her past and even though it was a tiny glimpse, it was still significant. _If Rogue ever does tell me her real name...I'll know how far she's come._

**- - -**

He shook his head at the memory. That was one of the couple of times when he wasn't the 'perfect' boyfriend, still he was proud of the fact they made up in record time.

_And now Rogue is goin' t' get back de bracelet._ He would have been happy at the thought; however, someone else prevented him from getting excited. Before he could think better of it, he hurriedly threw everything on the bed into the shopping bags and headed out the door.

Despite Rogue's plea, he was going to pay a little visit to Ms. Elizabeth Braddock.

xxxxxxx

**Author's Note:** I wrote the flashback scene to show that Remy and Rogue's relationship did not become solid over night (remember how screwed up they were in Interactions). They had three weeks to start over and build their relationship in hopes that it will continue to grow stronger. I'll probably add more flashback scenes in the future to show how their relationship progress into their current state.

As always thanks for your reviews. I'm a bit burnt out on Stolen, so my next update might be the next part of Interplay or maybe I'll get serious and start the next part of New Addition–who knows.

**Next Time:** Jean holds back from Scott, Remy confronts Betsy, Xavier meets with Rogue, plus Jean/Logan, Betsy/Bobby, Remy/Rogue, Ororo/Remy, and Rogue/Logan.

**Preview:** From now on I will post story previews from my upcoming chapters on my profile page (since I don't write much else on it).


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